Acuity Law steals the show at inaugural Wales Legal Awards
Leading commercial law firm, Acuity Law took centre stage at the inaugural Wales Legal Awards on Friday 17 May 2019, scooping two prestigious awards.
Acuity won the award for commercial Litigation Team of the Year and the overall award for legal Team of the Year, confirming its reputation as a dominant practice for disputes work. It was also a finalist in the category for corporate and commercial team of the year.
Founded by Charlotte Leyshon of Lux Family Law in partnership with the Wales Fast Growth 50 and Grapevine Event Management, the Wales Legal Awards celebrate the best talent in the legal profession in Wales and recognise the significance of the legal sector to the Welsh economy. The legal community is not only a growing part of the increasingly important financial and professional services sector, it also ensures that the wider business community grows and flourishes in an increasingly global marketplace through the high quality of services it provides.
The first national awards of their kind, the initiative attracted an esteemed panel of independent judges and industry leaders from a range of organisations, including The Legal 500 UK, Thompson Reuters Practical Law and the Law Society, as well as in-house legal counsel, barristers and solicitors practising across various sectors outside of Wales.
Professor Dylan Jones-Evans, chair of the judging panel, said:
“The competition was of an enormously high standard across all categories. However, after careful consideration, the judging panel believed the experience and expertise of Acuity Law in litigation, coupled with their passion and a commitment to go the extra mile for their clients, made them worthy winners of the team of the year at the inaugural Wales Legal Awards. The fact that they are also a relatively new team at Acuity Law was even more impressive.”
Working across the firm’s three UK offices, the litigation team at Acuity Law has grown significantly, doubling in size since its creation just over two years ago and taking additional office space at its Swansea base.
Regularly instructed in multi-million pound and high-profile commercial disputes, the team’s workload covers all types of commercial litigation, with particular specialisms in contractual disputes, director and shareholder disputes, professional negligence, property disputes, intellectual property disputes, construction litigation, defamation and reputation management.
Accepting the awards at the ceremony held in Cardiff, Hugh Hitchcock, partner and head of the firm’s litigation team, said:
“Our success as a destination litigation practice comes down to the home-grown talent in our team who through our skill set and core values are consistently delivering results and added value for our clients. It’s incredibly exciting to be celebrating our achievements in a vibrant legal marketplace that competes at a national and international level.
“The work we are doing and the clients we are attracting is testament to the strong legal services market in Wales.”
Acuity Law has doubled in size in recent years and last year advised on over 100 UK-based transactions with an aggregate value of over £1.5 billion. Rated by the independent legal directories as a top tier firm for corporate transactions and real estate work, the firm has landed a raft of awards in the last year – in January 2019 it was named law firm of the year at The Legal 500 Awards 2019; its corporate team was named legal team of the year at the Wales Dealmakers Awards in September 2018; and its real estate team scooped the coveted title of property law firm of the year at the Wales Property Awards in June 2018 for an unprecedented three years in succession.
Through its office in Soho and growing London presence, the firm’s offering includes a unique hybrid consultancy model for talented lawyers who want full back office support and access to a team of junior lawyers without the restraints of traditional employment.