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CLARKE WILLMOTT SHORT-LISTED FOR NATIONAL “OSCAR”

The South West-based private client and family team of national law firm Clarke Willmott has been short-listed in the British Legal Awards 2008. 

Organised by Legal Week magazine, the British Legal Awards are viewed as the “Oscars” for the nation‘s lawyers.

Clarke Willmott‘s private client team, based at the firm‘s South West regional office in Taunton, is one of just six firms throughout the country to be short-listed for the national award, which will be announced at a gala dinner in London in November.

Bill Knight, president of the City of London Law Society, will chair the judging panel.

The Clarke Willmott team includes the following key lawyers: Robert Smeath, managing director of the firm‘s private client operations; Peter Nellist, sector leader, one of the UK‘s most qualified legal financial advisers and twice winner of the FT‘s Money Management  “Financial Planner of the Year” award; Stuart Thorne, a nationally recognised expert in rural tax planning and head of the firm‘s South West regional office; Anthony Fairweather, the UK‘s only solicitor to have qualifications in all three of trust & estate planning, clinical negligence, and alternative dispute resolution; and Felicity Shakespear, a nationally acclaimed expert in divorce.

Having achieved a 25% increase in fee revenue over the past year, the team has advised on cases involving more than £170 million. 

As part of the firm‘s campaign to champion former military personnel, Peter Nellist secured a death-in-service refund of almost £400,000 in inheritance tax for the family of a Second World War veteran who died aged 91.  Peter has many more cases from across the UK in the pipeline.

Robert Smeath, managing director of the firm‘s private client operations, said:  “We‘re thrilled to be short-listed for an award for the second time in only a few months: The Lawyer magazine recently short-listed us for “Private Client Team of the Year” and short-listed the firm for “Regional/National Law Firm of the Year” at their 2008 awards”.

ENDS                         3rd November 2008 

For further information please contact Louie Hadley, Sturgess Van Damme, on 01275 349011 or email louie@sturgessvandamme.co.uk