We are proud to announce we have once again earned the honour of being recognised on the prestigious Legal 500 platform, which benchmarks legal standards across the globe. This comes on the back of other nationally recognised legal rankings in recent months and shows the continued commitment the company has towards the highest level of client service in its second decade of existence.
The Legal 500 is a prominent identifier of excellence in the legal sector and is a signifier that a business consistently shows high standards in different legal fields. Consilia Legal has been recognised in both family law and employment law in the latest rankings released on 1st October 2025, while high performing individuals have also been recognised. We celebrated ten years in business in 2024 and this recognition is a great way to signal the intent of the business to continue growing and reaching new standards of expertise and client service.
Since 1987 the Legal 500 has been published annually as a client focussed guide to legal firms. It has now developed to become a data-driven, AI-optimised research platform which benchmarks, informs and connects both sides of the legal sector, law firms and clients, and ranks businesses in over 100 countries worldwide.
Individual and collective accolades
Our firm was first recognised on the Legal 500 platform in 2018, and specifically for our services in family law and mediation. On that occasion, Laura Clapton was one of those individually recognised as a ‘recommended lawyer’. And our director and co-founder is still receiving the accolades all these years later. Laura has been awarded with a ‘leading partner’ status and the Legal 500 research team received the following client testimonial: “Laura Clapton is excellent, gives clear and frank advice and has helped me navigate a sensible path in the right way. I’ve recommended her to others since.”
Individual recognition also came the way of family lawyer Claire Chisnall and Marie Walsh and Victoria Horner for their employment law expertise. Claire was awarded with leading associate status and was highly praised for her aptitude in litigation. A client testimonial also said: “Claire Chisnall stands out as an exceptional solicitor for her no-nonsense, straight-talking approach combined with a meticulous attention to detail. Throughout my complex case, her focus and thorough preparation were evident at every step.”
In our employment team, Marie has been recognised for being a safe pair of hands and a personable, engaging and enthusiastic lawyer. Victoria has been noted or her pragmatic approach and regularly advising on complex grievance procedures. The testimonials collated by the Legal 500 team say “Consilia Legal is a ‘go-to’ firm for employment law” which is a fantastic recognition.
The final individual recognised in this year’s Legal 500 rankings was Kelly Walters who was listed as a key lawyer for her work as a Senior Family Associate Solicitor and Family Mediator. In describing Kelly’s work, a client commented: “Kelly Walters has provided clear, frank advice throughout. She is trustworthy, and kind, and I felt that she really understood the awful situation that my children and I found ourselves in. She never sugar-coated anything, and being fully aware of what was/wasn’t realistic helped me to make major decisions during the worst period of my life. I will be forever grateful to her.”
About Consilia Legal as a business, the comments included: “People seem to care, there’s a true sense of care for clients. A sense that you’re not alone and they are right there with you.” In describing our services, the comments continued: “Consilia stands out for its exceptional expertise, seamless collaboration with other professionals, and outstanding client service. They took the time to tailor solutions to my specific needs, offering strategic advice on complex challenges.”
Second tier ranking through a team effort
Everyone at Consilia Legal is proud of this widespread recognition and, across the board, all our team has played a part in achieving such a prestigious status. Even those recognised as individuals have acknowledged that it is a team effort and they couldn’t perform to the high standards that they do without the critical support and expertise of their colleagues. This collective effort is duly recognised in Consilia Legal achieving a second tier ranking once again this year.
The Legal 500 recognition comes on the back of Consilia Legal being shortlisted for the National Family Law Awards at the annual LexisNexis Family Law Awards. This was announced in September and the awards are being held in November. Also, back in May, the firm was recognised as leaders in Family Law by the Doyle’s Guide 2025, another key indicator of excellence and standards in the UK legal sector. The Doyle’s Guide recognised us as trusted specialists in family and divorce law in Leeds and West Yorkshire, while Laura Clapton was again ranked as a preeminent family and divorce lawyer.
Such national and international recognition demonstrates the commitment to excellence of everyone at Consilia Legal and also provides us with benchmarks to strive towards. It also recognises the enormous progress the business has achieved in ten years of operation and this is reflected in a satisfied client base and the strong client relationships we have built. Rest assured, we will continue to strive towards excellence as we develop the business further in 2026.