Awards, Accreditations and Certifications

Awards, Accreditations and Certifications

When employing the services of a law firm, it’s important to know that the solicitors you request help from are trustworthy, experienced and able to effectively help you. While all law firms will be vying for your attention, there are some industry standard awards, accreditations and certifications that can help you understand whether you should trust a firm to handle your matter.

JMW Solicitors prides itself on being the best it can be - this includes ensuring the right service practices are in place to protect you and your interests when handling a legal concern. To ensure that this is not taken for granted and we continue to improve, we are recognised and regulated by a number of organisations and governing bodies.

If you have any questions, or would like to know more about JMW’s awards, accreditations and certifications, please contact us by calling 0345 872 6666, or you can fill in our online enquiry form and we will get back to you.

The Legal 500

A law firm can be recognised by the Legal 500 in a number of ways, including:

Hall of Fame
Lawyers included in the Hall of Fame are widely regarded as being at the very top of the profession and have consistently been ranked as leading individuals by The Legal 500 for at least eight of the last 10 years.

Leading individuals
Solicitors regarded as leading individuals are true market leaders who have:

• Long-established reputations in their specialism
• Taken the lead on multiple recent significant legal matters
• Exceptional, widespread recognition
• Endorsement from peers in the market and clients

Next generation partners
Partners considered to be part of the next generation will generally have five years or less experience at partner level, significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and have recently led on multiple matters.

Rising stars
Associate-level lawyers who appear in significant matters and are widely cited by peers and/or clients as having major contributions to practices are awarded a rising star from The Legal 500.

JMW is recognised by The Legal 500 and has 15 departments ranked. Take a look at our Legal 500 profiles for each of our offices:

• Manchester
• London
• Liverpool

Northern Powerhouse Awards

In 2023 JMW was awarded Firm of the Year for our Business Crime and Regulation department.

Chambers & Partners

Law firms that are recognised by Chambers & Partners are awarded a ranking based on a number of qualities, including:

• Technical legal ability
• Professional conduct
• Client service
• Commercial astuteness
• Diligence
• Commitment
• Value to the client

A law firm or individual will be ranked in bands from 1 to 6, with 1 being the highest; however, being ranked in any band by Chambers & Partners is a significant achievement.

JMW currently has 12 ranked departments and 33 ranked lawyers in the 2021 Chambers & Partners guide. You can view our profile here.

Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Regulated

The SRA regulates all solicitors and most law firms in England and Wales. Its responsibility is to protect and help the public by making sure solicitors and law firms meet their high standards and taking action against solicitors who do not follow their rules. 

JMW is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority with SRA ID 508380 (Manchester), SRA ID 658524 (London) and SRA ID 648458 (Liverpool).

Regulation by the SRA shows our commitment to follow their rules, keep your money safe and ensure we have professional insurance. We are also dedicated to providing clear information on services and prices. You can view our SRA profile here.

All genuine solicitors and law firms will be on the SRA’s roll and will be able to give you their roll number (or SRA ID number) on request.

Our firm is also accredited with Lexcel - the Law Society’s quality standard mark. 

Investors in People (IIP) - Silver Award

An IIP award is a recognition that an organisation is looking to improve performance and realise objectives through the management and development of its people.

Law firms with an IIP, like JMW, are more likely to have employees who have received extensive training in the various techniques and best practices associated with providing legal services.

A silver award recognises a highly-empowered workforce, supportive management and an embedded commitment to developing individuals. It also means that the right principles are in place.

Other Awards

In 2016, the firm became one of the Top 100 UK law firms by revenue for the first time and we are currently ranked 74th.

Many of our departments have been shortlisted for various industry awards, and at the 2019 Manchester Legal Awards, we won Large Law Firm of the Year. In 2018, we won The Lawyers Law Firm of the Year: The Independents, North and Scotland.

We were also ranked in The Times Best Law Firm in 2021 where we were commended for commercial dispute resolution, employment, family, financial crime and fraud and regulatory, personal injury, and clinical negligence.

Please see below for a selection of awards won by the firm: