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Charles Russell Speechlys sustains strong rankings in Legal 500 UK Solicitors Rankings 2026, with 24 lawyers achieving new accolades

Charles Russell Speechlys today announces its continued recognition as a leading international law firm in the Legal 500 UK Solicitors 2026 guide, having sustained Tier 1 rankings across 19 different legal categories. The Firm is now currently ranked across 65 different legal categories.

24 of our lawyers were awarded new accolades, compared to 15 last year, and 91 of our lawyers are ranked across a variety of divisions and practice areas. 22 are listed in the ‘Hall of Fame’, compared to 19 in 2024, and 18 are ‘Leading Associates’.

We maintained the same number of ‘Leading Partners’ as 2024, with 35 of our lawyers holding the ranking, and 22 are marked out as ‘Next Generation Partners’, compared to 17 last year. The Firm continues to maintain a strong pipeline of talent at all levels, with the Firm announcing a large and strong cohort of promotions earlier in the year, including 12 to Partner.

The rankings form one of the leading guides to law firms and solicitors. They reflect months of analysis and interviews, and the review of tens of thousands of submissions to “select the very best lawyers and law firms in the UK”. Legal 500 also canvasses the views of more than 40,000 GCs and clients for the rankings.

Simon Ridpath, Managing Partner, comments:

A well-deserved congratulations to everybody named in this year’s rankings, including the 24 individuals awarded brand new accolades. All deserve recognition for the successes they are creating in their careers, and their efforts are hugely appreciated.

"As our private capital strategy continues to flourish, we have seen significant growth over the past few years, with investments in technology, new offices and senior lateral hires in a number of different jurisdictions and practice areas. But along with that, we have also made substantial investments in the progression and development of our people. It is fantastic to see such a lift in the number of Next Generation Partners this year, in the same year that we had a bumper round of promotions and brought 12 individuals through to the Partnership.

"As well as strategically hiring and bringing in new talent, it is important for us to grow our own, and so it is extremely positive to see our people going on to be recognised for their achievements in the market more broadly.

"I’d like to say another huge thank you to our people, for working as hard as they do for the success of the Firm and their clients, and to our clients, for the continued trust they place in us. Here’s to many more years of success.

See full results below.

You can access our rankings in full here.

Ranking highlights – at a glance:

Overall:

  • Sustained Tier 1 ranking across 19 legal categories
  • 24 new lawyer accolades, totalling 91 ranked lawyers
  • Ranked in 65 different legal categories
  • 22 Lawyers listed in the Hall of Fame
  • 35 of our lawyers are 'Leading Partners’
  • 22 are marked out as ‘Next Generation Partners'
  • 18 are ‘Leading Associates’

New Tier 1 rankings in:

  • London > Real estate > Residential property
  • London > Private client > Family: divorce and financial remedy

New rankings for our work in:

  • London > Employment > employee share schemes
  • London > Private client > Family: divorce and financial remedy (previously 'family')
  • London > Private client > Family: children (previously 'family')

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