B P Collins is delighted to share that the Chambers High Net Worth (HNW) Guide for 2026 continues to rank B P Collins’ private wealth law and private wealth disputes’ practices in Band 1 – the guide’s top ranking – and its high value residential real estate and family teams also retain their high rankings.
Individual rankings
Several B P Collins lawyers have been ranked for the first time in the guide including property partner, Matthew Tebbot; property senior associate, Matthew Crockford and private wealth partner, Emma Hurrell.
Martina Razaq, a partner in the residential property team, continues to be highly recognised, alongside private wealth dispute partners, Matthew Brandis and Craig Williams. Family partners, Laura Mortimer and Emma Leavesley and private wealth disputes solicitor, Imogen Pike, have moved up the rankings this year.
Head of the private wealth law team and principal lawyer, Sharon Heselton, principal lawyer Dominic Ibbs, and Naadim Shamji, a senior associate in the private wealth law team; continue to retain their rankings.
Private wealth disputes practice
The guide reports that clients rate the Band 1 practice highly because of its, “…exceptional expertise in this area of law. Due to its strength and depth in each department, it is able to put an excellent team together for more complex matters.”
Partner and practice group leader, Matthew Brandis, who has conducted litigation in most civil divisions of the High Court and in the Court of Appeal and is an accredited and experienced Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) mediator, acting for both Claimants and Defendants in a range of complex cases, is highly ranked in the guide with one client saying that he is, “… superb. He is a very good litigator as he is very sensible, pragmatic and calm. His attributes complement each other.”
The guide also describes Band 1 partner, Craig Williams, who represents clients in complex, high-value contentious trust and estate matters, as “…knowledgeable and excellent with clients,” with one impressed client explaining that he, “…is a standout solicitor. He thinks in a way that is always one step ahead of the opposition. Craig is very tactically astute and invariably thorough and goes to the end for his clients. His legal analysis is flawless.”
Meanwhile, newly ranked ‘Star Associate,’ Imogen Pike, who has experience advising on a range of disputes concerning the validity of wills, testamentary capacity, undue influence, claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 and disputes over the administration of trusts and estates, is recognised as being, “…trusted to run the complex and high-value matters. She is very switched on.”
Private wealth team
According to a contact interviewed by Chambers, B P Collins’ private wealth team, “…has demonstrated remarkable coordination. The successful outcome is testament to the persistence and strategic approach of the entire team.”
Newly ranked private wealth partner, Emma Hurrell, who advises on a wide range of estate planning matters with particular expertise on the use of trusts, is reported by one client as, “…thoroughly professional, understanding, kind and efficient.”
Dominic Ibbs, a qualified notary public, who advises on trusts and estate administration, is reported to be, “…an excellent lawyer with very high technical ability and attention to detail.”
Another client, advised by probate and estate planning specialist, Sharon Heselton, says that she, “…has an outstanding legal brain. She has the utmost expertise from years of experience and terrific empathy with our circumstances. She very quickly earned our complete trust.”
Naadim Shamji, who has expertise in advising on asset protection, typically through trusts and loans agreements, is ranked as an ‘Associate to Watch’ for a second year running in the guide.
High value residential real estate practice
The Chambers HNW Guide reports that B P Collins’ high value residential real estate team, “…are extremely responsive and proactive both in and out of business hours. We always feel as though they go above and beyond more than any other solicitors we have used before.”
On the ‘fantastic’ Martina Razaq, B P Collins’ residential property partner, who regularly advises high net worth buyers and sellers on high-value transactions in the Thames Valley and London, one client states that she, “…kept me informed at every stage of the process. She was very approachable and accessible, and explained clearly any questions I asked. She always made time for me when I needed to speak to her.”
Newly ranked property partner Matthew Tebbot who specialises on the acquisition and disposal of both leasehold and freehold properties for high-net-worth individuals, developers and property investment companies, is described by one client as having a, “…pragmatic approach to getting the job done.”
“Attentive, solution-oriented and acting clearly on my behalf, but also pragmatic and not taking unreasonable or pedantic positions – he is always ahead of the other parties in terms of workflow,” is how one client referred to Matthew Crockford, a newly ranked senior associate who handles high value, and often complex, residential property transactions.
Family practice
Clients have been hugely positive of their experience with the family team with one commenting: “”B P Collins has an excellent family team. Their juniors are very strong, and they offer straightforward and pragmatic advice at an early stage, maximising chances of negotiation or settlement. In financial remedy work, they are both detail-oriented and commercially minded, giving clients the best chance of success.”
On the team’s family partners, another client says: “Laura Mortimer is very technically good, bright, good on the more complex, technical issues. She’s very measured and sensible dealing with clients, giving them sensible advice.”
Laura advises clients on the full range of issues that arise on separation, from disputes relating to children, including how their time is to be shared between their parents, and where they are to live, to the division of high net worth and ultra-high net worth finances on divorce.
Meanwhile, partner Emma Leavesley, who is experienced in preparing pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements and separation agreements is described as having “a brilliant manner with her clients. You know that she works tirelessly to ensure the best outcomes…”
Senior partner, Simon Deans says:
“We are proud that the firm’s work has once again been acknowledged in the Chambers High Net Worth Guide. This recognition is a testament to the dedication of our teams and the trust our clients place in us. Delivering thoughtful, responsive and consistently high-quality advice remains fundamental to everything we do. We are grateful to our clients for their invaluable feedback and congratulate all the practice teams and lawyers recognised this year, especially those achieving a ranking for the first time.”
B P Collins’ rankings and client feedback are available to view on the Chambers HNW website.
