The Legal 500 (UK) 2025 edition was released this week with some excellent rankings and testimonials for the teams and individuals at Greene & Greene. ‘An excellent firm with a high standard of client care. Greene and Greene offer a team that is consistently good’ and ‘this team punches above its weight in terms of its standing as a regional firm. It has a City quality feel.’
The firm has three Top Tier practice areas, seven recommended practice areas, 11 leading partners, two next generation partners, six leading associates and a further 11 key lawyers.
Corporate services:
Our Tier 1 ranked Corporate lawyers are known for their ‘pragmatic, sensible and thorough’ approach, who handle high-value transactions not only across the region, but also nationally and internationally. The practice is led by Managing Partner, Simon Ratcliffe, who ‘is a very experienced corporate lawyer with a no-nonsense practical approach.’ Partners, Andrew Cooper and Neil Walmsley ‘have a great commercial understanding and are practical at finding solutions that work.‘ The ‘logical and pragmatic’ Mark Daly is involved in high-value and cross-border transactions for public and private companies, and Mark Whittaker is noted for providing ‘an excellent service based on expertise and sage advice. Very pragmatic and reliable.’
The Commercial Litigation team have maintained their Tier 1 ranking with quotes including: ‘outstanding service, competence and personal touch.’ Lead Partner, Rob Adam, is praised by his clients as ‘one in a million. I have him on speed dial and he is very clever indeed! Very conscientious, efficient and protective.’ Michael Batty, Senior Partner, is noted for his client service, ‘Michael Batty is very commercial, hardworking and on top of the issues, as well as great with clients.’
The Commercial Property team serves a diverse client base across East Anglia and beyond, frequently working opposite large regional and national firms on matters of high complexity. The team are praised for their depth of knowledge ‘the team has a wide variety of knowledge and expertise for any business to use.’ Practice head and Partner, Tim Mendes da Costa frequently handles multimillion-pound acquisitions. Hugo Greer-Walker regularly leads on complex, high value matters. Leading Associate Julia Cardy, Legal Director, is noted for her ‘excellent service and timeliness.’ Senior Associate, Sally Whatley-Brown is also ranked as a Key Lawyer with feedback from clients including ‘ we have worked with Sally on a number of important and often complex matters relating to land with planning permission or planning potential. Sally always progresses matters efficiently and crucially keeps in regular contact so any matters that need clarification or further input are discussed and dealt with promptly and in a practical way.’ Chartered Legal Executive, James Southward, is ranked for the first time as a Key Lawyer with feedback including ‘James Southward very quickly produced a complex overage agreement which was key to securing a sale before planning permission expired.’
The Property Litigation practice has a ‘hugely pragmatic approach to litigation which is client-focused and responsive.’ Partner, Rob Adam is described as ‘very personable with clients but is known for dealing with heavyweight matters.’ Whilst Partner, Michael Batty is also described as ‘knowledgeable and commercially astute. Keeps a firm eye on litigation and cost risk.’ Bee Belby, Associate is listed as a Key Lawyer and is noted for her ‘great attention to detail, proactive in evidence gathering at an early stage which enabled the prospects of the litigation to be meaningfully assessed from the outset, informing the litigation strategy thereafter. It is surprising how few solicitors do this.’
Sarah Western, ranked as a Next Generation Partner, leads the Construction practice and is described as a ‘fantastic lawyer. Loves her job… Top solicitor.’ The team are praised for being ‘knowledgeable and helpful and always explain things clearly without using complicated legal language.’ Other feedback includes ‘Greene & Greene is a key adviser to funders, developers, contractors, sub-contractors, and other professionals in the construction sector. The firm handles both advisory work and contentious matters, but it is particularly adept in construction disputes thanks to the experience of litigators Rob Adam and Michael Batty.
The Employment team are ‘a regional firm with a client list which would be the envy of many City firms, providing the full spectrum of employment law services, notably in areas such as discrimination, whistleblowing claims, equal pay disputes, and TUPE matters, the firm acts for numerous employers from the Eastern Region, as well as London and overseas.’
Head of department and Leading Partner, Selene Holden is noted for being ‘absolutely fantastic. She is a kind and compassionate person, but as a lawyer she is fierce, efficient and knowledgeable,’ whilst fellow Leading Partner, Greg Jones is praised for his client centric approach ‘the pragmatic nature of the advice he provides and the speed of response is unique in my experience of other law firms.’ Leading Associate, Angharad Ellis Owen, Barrister is ‘always available, very professional and very reliable.’ Senior Associate, Katie Harris-Wright is also noted as a Key Lawyer.
Individual services
The firm’s Top Tier Private Client team has a ‘large private client practice that handles complex and high-value estates across the UK’, led by Wayne Perrin. The team are noted for their client service, with feedback including ‘kindness and professionalism was at the forefront.’ Next Generation Partner, Martine Swaep, is praised for her knowledge and client care, ‘Martine was excellent, friendly and very helpful. By the end of the appointments I had, she became someone I trusted and would use again. Any member of staff that was present were also very pleasant.’ Sandra Bowden is ranked for the first time as a Key Lawyer with feedback including ‘Sandra Bowden was sympathetic yet efficient and highly competent. It was a pleasure to work with her.’ Nigel Scase, Tax Director, Senior Associate, Zoe Hodge and Trusts and Estates Administrator, Sarah Woodhouse are all ranked in this year’s edition.
The Contentious Trust and Probate team have feedback from clients including: ‘Greene & Greene are very much in tune with the ethos of traditional values that mean so much to clients, yet their modern business acumen is exceptional in every sense. The team work as one with a deep-seated knowledge across all aspects of law. A refreshing approach with personal service as opposed to offering a generic service and a one size fits all attitude that seems to have become the norm for many law firms.’ Experienced Litigation partnerRob Adam, ‘is an experienced and safe pair of hands and has the right focus on getting good results for the client rather than arguing for the sake of it.’ Bee Belby is noted as a Leading Associate. ‘Bee Belby is a superb and extremely competent lawyer. Top at what she does,’ and ‘a strong performer in a sector which is under-served in this part of the country.’
Our Family team is led by Partner, Stuart Hughes and is described as ‘punches well above its weight. It thrives on its excellent client care, thorough preparatory work, excellent drafting and understanding of the law.’ Stuart is ranked as a Leading Partner, with clients commenting he is ‘very smart, a great strategist and tactician but always providing excellent, pragmatic and sensible advice. Clients trust Stuart and rely on him. He has a wonderful manner with clients, who know he will do everything he can for them.’ He is supported by fellow Leading Partner, Melanie Pilmer, who is described as ‘razor-sharp, meticulously prepared, focussed and pragmatic. She always fights her client’s corner with strength and clarity, and clients hugely appreciate her advice.’ The team is known for handling national as well as regional family work, including high-value matters involving assets in excess of £30m. Leading Associate, Emma Alfieri, Legal Director, is ‘very calm, well prepared, clear and sensible. She always gives her utmost for her clients.’
Managing Partner, Simon Ratcliffe commented ‘We are incredibly proud of our results in the Legal 500 (UK) 2025 rankings, which reflect the hard work, dedication, and expertise of our entire team at Greene & Greene. With exceptional feedback across all departments, it’s clear that our commitment to delivering high-quality legal services is being recognised. ‘
For a full list of rankings and client testimonials, please visit Greene & Greene’s Legal 500 profile.
