Liverpool’s legal community has once again demonstrated the exceptional strength, diversity and national significance of the profession across the Liverpool City Region, with an outstanding field of entries submitted for the Liverpool Law Society Legal Awards 2026.
This year’s nominations have highlighted not simply legal excellence, but the extraordinary breadth of work being undertaken by Liverpool City Region lawyers, law firms and legal teams — from complex litigation and family law to commercial transactions, access to justice, technological innovation, equality and diversity, and cases with national and international significance.
The quality of entries across the eight award categories has been particularly impressive, demonstrating innovation in the delivery of legal services, investment in people and skills, the development of emerging legal talent, pro-bono and community activity, and examples of lawyers helping to shape and develop the law itself.
The Awards are organised by the Liverpool Law Society, whose membership spans solicitors, barristers, legal executives, licensed conveyancers, costs lawyers, notaries, members of the judiciary, academics and other professionals working across the legal sector. The 2026 Awards are open to Society members and recognise work undertaken during the 12 months to 31 July 2026.
The strength of the nominations also provides a powerful reminder that legal services are an important part of the Liverpool City Region economy.
Recent figures presented at a regional legal services and growth event show that the Liverpool City Region is home to 187 registered law firms, generating around £700 million in annual revenue. They range from independent and specialist practices to major national and international firms, creating a diverse legal ecosystem and supporting the wider economy.
Legal services sit within the Liverpool City Region’s much wider Professional and Business Services sector, which comprises approximately 12,000 businesses employing around 96,000 people. The sector provides the professional expertise and infrastructure that enables businesses across other industries to invest, transact, innovate, and grow.
Liverpool’s legal influence also extends far beyond the City Region.
The entries considered by the judges demonstrate lawyers and firms handling work for clients across the UK and internationally, contributing to significant litigation, commercial transactions, public inquiries and developing areas of law. This reflects the wider strength of UK legal services as an international industry. Nationally, the legal profession contributes around £60 billion annually to the UK economy, while the Law Society reported in September 2026 that legal services generated a £9.7 billion UK trade surplus in 2025.
The Liverpool City Region, therefore, represents much more than an important regional legal centre. Its lawyers support businesses, individuals, families, public bodies and communities while helping attract investment, protect rights, resolve disputes and provide the legal certainty on which economic activity depends.
The judging process has also highlighted the contribution made by Liverpool Law Society and its members in supporting professional standards, continuing professional development, collaboration, and the next generation of legal professionals.
Particularly striking across this year’s entries has been the commitment to developing people — through apprenticeships, mentoring, professional qualifications, graduate opportunities and structured career progression — alongside considerable evidence of community engagement, charitable work, social mobility initiatives and improved access to the profession.
Technology and innovation have also emerged strongly, with firms demonstrating how artificial intelligence, digital client platforms, new working practices and specialist legal technology are changing the way legal services are delivered while maintaining the professional standards and personal service expected by clients.
The judging panel recognised that distinguishing between entries was exceptionally difficult because of the consistently high standard of submissions.
A spokesperson for the judging panel said:
“The quality of this year’s entries demonstrates just how much legal talent exists across Liverpool and the wider City Region. We have seen exceptional lawyers, ambitious new talent, innovative teams and firms combining centuries of heritage with new technology and entirely new ways of delivering legal services.
“What stands out is that their impact reaches far beyond the legal profession. These organisations create skilled jobs, develop young people, support businesses, help vulnerable people, contribute to their communities and undertake work of national and international significance.
“The Liverpool City Region should be proud of its legal sector. It is an important economic asset in its own right, but it is also an enabler of growth across almost every other part of our economy.”
Liverpool Law Society’s Annual Dinner and Legal Awards 2026 will take place at the Rum Warehouse, Titanic Hotel Liverpool, on Thursday 12 November 2026. The ceremony will celebrate outstanding work undertaken during the previous 12 months across eight categories, covering litigation, non-contentious work, family law, equality, diversity and inclusion, rising talent, outstanding individual achievement and law firms of different sizes.
The Awards ultimately tell a wider story: Liverpool City Region has a legal community with deep local roots, substantial economic importance and an increasingly national and international reach.
The following firms and individuals have been shortlisted:
Outstanding Team Award (Dispute Resolution & Litigation)
- Brabners
- DWF
- Fletchers Solicitors
Outstanding Team Award (Non-Contentious) sponsored by Landmark Information
- Bell, Lamb & Joynson Solicitors
- Hill Dickinson
- Weightmans
Outstanding Team Award (Family Law)
- 174 Family Law
- JMW Solicitors
- MSB
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Award sponsored by LJMU
- DWF
- Fletchers Solicitors
- Morecrofts Solicitors
Rising Star Award sponsored by The University of Law
- Charlotte Ashton, Fletchers Solicitors
- Jack Enright, Provenio Litigation
- Erin Sunderland, Broudie Jackson Canter
Outstanding Lawyer Award sponsored by Miller
- Elkan Abrahamson (Broudie Jackson Canter)
- Michelle Connor (CG Professional)
- Jasmine Stuart (Complex Law)
Law Firm Award (1-49 employees) sponsored by Clio
- Complex Law
- HM3 Legal
- Peter Edwards Law
Law Firm Award (50+ employees) sponsored by Benchmark
- Bell, Lamb & Joynson Solicitors
- Fletchers Solicitors
- Hill Dickinson
The 2026 Legal Awards winners will be revealed at the Society’s Annual Dinner on Thursday, 12 November 2026.