HCR’s growing practice and sector expertise is recognised by Legal 500 2025 rankings

Building on a year of strong growth and targeted recruitment, HCR Law has secured new Legal 500 rankings in a dozen areas. Following research among clients and peers, the firm has attained its highest number of rankings to date, with 18 tier 1 accolades.

Amongst the top tier rankings are two new entries for Crime & Fraud and Health & Safety, both in East Anglia. The firm’s Cambridge office is also celebrating new recognition for Insolvency & Recovery alongside 12 other rankings. Kathryn Gilbertson receives particular praise as a ‘standout partner’ with two separate listings in the Hall of Fame.

In Wales, the team continues to go from strength to strength, with the Sports team achieving a ranking for the first time. Partners Wayne Beynon and Hefin Archer-Williams are both recognised for their expertise in this area, with Wayne also distinguished as a Leading Partner. The team’s rapid growth and development is further highlighted by three additional rankings, including a tier 2 ranking for Agriculture and Estates, alongside a corresponding Leading Partner rank for Rory Hutchings. The wider team’s expertise is underscored by the retention of tier 1 rankings in both IT and Telecoms, as well as in Intellectual Property.

HCR’s London office has received two new rankings, along with the retention of accolades from the previous year, including in the Corporate and Commercial Partnership category, where Robert Capper and Rachel Khiara were both noted. The new rankings include the firm being designated as a Firm to Watch in the Private Client practice area. This recognition has resulted in the Private Client team being ranked across six different regions for its personal tax, trusts, and estates work, which includes two tier 1 rankings and a Hall of Fame entry for Bernadette O’Reilly.

The Employment and Immigration team has also received commendations with new rankings, being recognised as a ‘Firm to Watch’ in the West Midlands and Birmingham, as well as achieving a tier 4 recognition in the East Midlands. Employment and Immigration specialists Lynne Adams, Michael Stokes, and Omer Simjee are all recommended, while the team has successfully retained its Tier 1 ranking in the South West, along with two Tier 1 rankings in East Anglia.

The South West region continues to rank highly across a range of services including Corporate and Commercial, Commercial Property, Education and Commercial Litigation. The Corporate and Commercial team in the Thames Valley office has increased its ranking to tier 2 as well as a new tier 4 ranking in Property Litigation.

The 2025 rankings reinforce the success of the firm’s strategy of recruiting in key areas to complement and enhance the existing services already provided.

Alongside the team rankings, HCR received 143 individual lawyer mentions, 32 of whom are noted as Leading Partners. The directory also recognised 10 Leading Associates, 16 Next Generation Partners and 8 colleagues are now listed in the Hall of Fame.