Some of Bristol’s largest law firms and leading lawyers are among those shortlisted in a prestigious national legal awards scheme, with Burges Salmon alone competing in 12 categories.
Nominations for Legal 500 Awards 2020 are based on more than 70,000 interviews and months of research with in-house counsel, firms and chambers across the country. 
Burges Salmon is recognised in a dozen categories – against five last year – for its work across a variety of sectors and specialist teams including transport, business crime and regulatory investigations, real estate, environment, employment, finance and private client.
Building on being named Individual of the Year (London) Transport at last year’s awards, Burges Salmon’s head of rail Brioney Thomas has been shortlisted for Individual (outside London) of the Year.
Bristol-headquartered national firm Bevan Brittan is up for three awards for its public sector work while South West regional firm Michelmores, which has offices in Bristol, Exeter and London, is also aiming for a possible hat-trick with nominations in the TMT (technology, media and telecoms) category and two for Projects, Energy and Natural Resources.
TLT has been shortlisted in two categories – Corporate Firm of the Year (outside London) and Northern Ireland Firm of the Year.
Osborne Clarke partner Clare Robinson is among those competing for the title of TMT individual (outside London) while Thompsons Solicitors is in the running for the Insurance Firm of the Year (outside London).
Burges Salmon managing partner Roger Bull said: “We are delighted to have gone from receiving five nominations last year to 12 nominations in the 2020 Legal 500 UK Awards.
“These awards are special as nominations are determined through feedback from in-house counsel, other law firms and barristers. To receive such independent industry-wide recognition across a number of strategically significant practices and individuals within our business is fantastic news.”
Burges Salmon, which also has an office in London, is the running in the following categories:
Teams
- Transport: Firm of the Year
- Transport (Rail): Firm (Specialism) of the Year
- Private Client (Agriculture and estates): Firm (Specialism) of the Year
- Private Client (South West): Firm (outside London) of the Year
- Crime, Fraud and Licensing (South West): Firm (outside London) of the Year
- Human Resources (South West): Firm (outside London) of the Year
- Real Estate (South West): Firm (outside London) of the Year.
Individuals
- Chris Jackson, head of the transport team: Transport: Individual (London) of the Year
- Head of Rail Brioney Thomas: Individual (outside London) of the Year
- David Hall, who heads the firm’s business crime and regulatory investigations team: Crime, Fraud and Licensing: Individual (outside London) of the Year
- Andrew Eaton, who heads the corporate restructuring and insolvency team: Finance: Individual (putside London) of the Year
- Head of environment, Simon Tilling: Real Estate: Individual (outside London) of the Year.
Meanwhile Michelmores partner and head of PPP & projects Carol McCormack is up for Projects, Energy and Natural Resources individual (outside London) while the firm is in the running for the Projects, Energy and Natural Resources Firm of the Year and TMT (technology, media and telecoms) Firm of the Year (outside London).
Bevan Brittan is competing in the Public Sector Firm of the Year and as well Public Sector Firm of the Year (outside London) and Public Sector firm (specialism) of the year for its local government work.
The winners of the awards will be announced in December.
