The banking and finance team at Clarke Willmott’s Cardiff office has been placed in the top tier of the Legal 500 guide, up from Band 2 last year.
The guide recommended the law firm’s Cardiff office in four practice areas: banking and finance, social housing, commercial property and construction.
Four Cardiff partners were named as a ‘Leading Partner’ for the first time. They are Bethan Evans (banking and finance), Fraser MacRae (social housing and banking and finance), James Williams (construction) and Vicky Kells (social housing and commercial property).
Declan Goodwin (IT and telecoms) was recognised as a ‘Next Generation Partner’ for the first time, while Fraser MacRae kept his place in the Legal 500’s ‘Hall of Fame’ nationally for social housing finance.
Clare Gregory, partner and head of the Cardiff office, said: “It is great to see the depth of expertise that we offer being recognised in the Legal 500, and having four of our lawyers being listed as ‘leading partners’ and another one as a ‘next generation partner’ – and with a further three first-time recommendations – is an outstanding achievement.”
Across the firm, Clarke Willmott received the top ranking possible in eight of its specialist practice areas and was ranked in 51 practice areas in total across its seven regional offices.
Its lawyers received 131 individual recommendations. Seven of these were improvements on last year, and 59 were new recommendations for the 2027 edition.
Clarke Willmott CEO, Peter Swinburn, said: “The Legal 500 is an important independent benchmark of quality and service in our profession and this year’s outcome is a clear reflection of the outstanding talent, commitment and professionalism of our lawyers across every department.
“All of this is against a healthy financial backdrop which saw our revenues increase to over £68 million for 2026. Compared to many of our mid-sized competitors, we have an enviable financial position that increases our strategic flexibility to support both investment and growth.”
The Legal 500 is an independent guide, and firms and individuals are recommended on merit.
Clarke Willmott LLP has offices in Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, London, Manchester, Southampton and Taunton.
