Muckle secures 12 top tier rankings in Legal 500 UK

Legal 500 UK results have been announced, and it’s another top year, with 12 top-tier practice rankings and 17 rankings overall. 56 of our lawyers were also recognised, including 14, who were ranked as ‘Leading Partners’, and 12 lawyers were ranked for the first time. Susan Howe, head of dispute resolution, was ranked in the 'Hall of Fame' - which is awarded to individuals who have received constant praise from their clients for continued excellence.

This recognition underscores the firm's commitment to delivering top-tier legal services across a broad spectrum of industries.

Legal 500 UK rankings are based on feedback from clients, submissions from law firms and interviews with leading private practice lawyers.

Without the support of our clients, our impressive Legal 500 rankings for 2025 would not be possible, and we’d like to say thank you for all the encouraging comments in the review. 

Highlights

• 12 top-tier rankings across the firm.
• Agriculture moved from tier 3 to tier 2 in the rankings.
• Susan Howe was ranked in the 'Hall of Fame'.
• We remain the only firm in the North ranked nationally for sport.

Top-tier legal services

Banking

‘The team is very approachable, extremely knowledgeable and very diligent. The Muckle team takes the time to understand legal requirements and provides practicable advice and solutions in a timely manner.'

Charities

‘The team at Muckle truly understand the charity sector and this makes them stand out from other firms. Their knowledge of both the nuances of charity law and how it interacts with other governance-related matters enabled our leadership team to make informed decisions about our charity merger. The approach from Muckle was considerably more appropriate in the circumstances, which emphasised their expertise in the charity sector.’

Dispute resolution

‘Muckle's commercial litigation team is adaptable, resourceful and practical. They combine an excellent knowledge of the legal fundamentals necessary to carry out high-value and complex litigation with a versatility of approach that permits them to work in a wide range of industry sectors. They also retain a good personal touch, and conduct themselves professionally but with a sense of proportionality and pragmatism.’

Real estate

'Our relationship with Muckle LLP spans residential, mixed-use and strategic land promotion, as well as work related to minerals issues. Their team are proactive, approachable, and professional. It is these simple 'traditional' values based on a determination to do a good job and a will to win which sets them apart.'

Corporate and commercial 

‘The Muckle LLP practice at Newcastle distinguishes itself with a client-centric approach, tailored to individual needs and objectives. Their team fosters easy communication and enriches perspectives. Overall, Muckle's corporate and commercial practice epitomises excellence, positioning them as a trusted partner for businesses seeking practical and reliable legal solutions.’

Debt recovery

‘We have used Muckle's debt recovery for many years. The introduction of their portal has been fantastic, easy to set up and use. Debts are uploaded and picked up super fast. We can also easily track. Muckle can tailor our requirements too. Generally, our issues are very straightforward, and we can utilise letters before action efficiently. We have the wealth of experience of the team for more complex issues.’

Education

'Muckle provides all those working within the education sector with exceptional service. The team demonstrate a deep understanding of the sector and its needs. They respond in a timely manner to all requests for support and offer clear and comprehensive advice and guidance at the time of need. I cannot recommend them highly enough.'

Employment

‘The pragmatic and balanced view received when seeking input from this team is outstanding, they are very straight forward to work with, which makes dealing with them very easy in what can often be complex circumstances. The availability of the team to provide support is also great. The team also play their part in developing the region's HR professionals, sharing their knowledge and hosting events that are relevant to all.’

IP

'They are very efficient and communicate very well, we have had some very complex agreements, and the complete process was handled very professionally.'

Media and entertainment

‘In our experience of Muckle we have learned that they listen to any issues, problems and opportunities that we may identify and because of their diverse offering they are able to honestly provide professional guidance, support and advice as appropriate with, in many cases, variable solutions. As such we feel that we actually have an active partner in our business rather than a service and this is important.'

Property Litigation

'Good practical advice with client-focused solutions at a similar cost to what our clients would expect. From my first conversation with Muckle, I felt comfortable talking to them and got the impression they cared. I have found the team very user-friendly and pleasant to deal with.'

Agriculture

‘The team are always available and willing to take a hands-on approach to meet potential clients, particularly always wanting to go out to the farm and meet the family to really understand what they are advising on. It's a real comfort to work alongside Muckle with a huge breath of knowledge to ensure our clients are always looked after. We would always recommend Muckle as the top firm in this sector to our clients.’

Construction

‘Adam Aston is a stand-out partner. Very personable and able to distil complex legal issues into understandable format.'

Energy

‘Excellent team dealing with energy-related matters. First-class communication and pushing transactions through in a timely manner.’

Insolvency and corporate recovery

‘Muckle has an excellent team across all its disciplines. The team members are approachable, from trainees up to the partnership team.’

Sport

‘Personal service is of high quality – responsiveness at short notice, understanding our business.’