Coodes recommended in 2025 edition of Legal 500

Coodes Solicitors has been recognised for its expertise and dedication to clients in the new 2025 edition of the Legal 500 – a leading guide to the UK’s best lawyers.

The firm’s Clinical Negligence, Personal Injury, Agriculture and Estates, Contentious Trusts and Probate and Family teams have been recognised for another year in the prestigious national directory. The commercial litigation offering has been noted for the first time in the directory, in recognising the team’s growing experience.

Based on feedback from clients and professionals, the Legal 500 ranks Coodes, which has a network of offices across Cornwall and Devon, for its range of specialist legal advice. Coodes Solicitors provides legal advice across the entire spectrum of business and personal needs, delivered by highly experienced lawyers.

The publication recognises six of the firms’ teams for their dedication to clients, expertise and continued reputation in the region.

The directory distinguishes the Clinical Negligence Team for its ‘excellent reputation’ particularly for the cases relating to birth injuries; surgical negligence; neurological injuries; misdiagnosis and mistreatment; and fatal cases. Client testimonials note that the ‘clinical negligence team are simply first-class to work with and go above and beyond for all their clients.’ Rachel Pearce and Julie Hatton both receive praise for their dedication to their clients.

The Personal Injury Team, also led by Rachel Pearce, has been recognised for another year for its expertise. Client testimonials describe ‘an excellent team of capable lawyers’ and praise their enthusiasm and determination. Demelza Pallant and David Usher are both mentioned for their experience and hard work.

The Rural Services Team is listed as delivering comprehensive advice spanning commercial disputes, real estate, wills and probate, as well as crime matters in the agricultural sector. Team lead Pam Johns is identified in testimonials as having ‘an in-depth knowledge and great experience of rural and landed property transactions.’

Coodes is also recommended for its specialism in contentious trusts and probate for the teams expertise, communication, professionalism and delivering peace of mind to clients. Team lead Melanie Grose is recognised for her compassion and ‘extensive legal knowledge’ whilst Hayley Gaffney is considered an outstanding solicitor.

The guide describes the Family Team as handling a diverse caseload with testimonials noting the teams ‘huge breadth and depth of experience’. Sarah Evans is considered ‘exceptionally good at meeting the needs of clients’ with Victoria Walters also receiving a mention.

The Commercial Disputes Team has made the rankings for the first time due to their demonstrable experience in a range of sectors like hospitality, leisure and tourism as well as their roster of clients in areas such as contractual litigation, shareholder proceedings, and rural business disputes. The team is recognised as ‘empathetic and responsive’ with Abi Lutey leading the team as ‘professional and hardworking’.

Abi Lutey, Head of Commercial Dispute Resolution at Coodes said: “I am delighted that we have been recognised for our expertise in resolving complex commercial disputes. This ranking is a testament to the dedication and skill of the whole Commercial Dispute Resolution Team who consistently deliver for our clients.”

The Coodes Commercial Property Team is listed by the directory as a ‘firm to watch’ with development expert Jo Morgan’s varied client base on transactional, finance, and development mandates.

Peter Lamble, Partner and Chairman of Coodes Solicitors said: “I’m incredibly proud that Coodes has continued to feature among the UK’s leading lawyers in this distinguished publication, especially given this is largely based on feedback from our clients and peers working in the legal sector.

“As the longest established law firm in the South West, in the past year we have worked hard to maintain and build upon our high standards across the firm. We have continued to invest in our people, establish new teams to serve growing demand and support community initiatives close to our hearts. We’ve also unveiled a bold new identity to help drive the firm’s growth ambitions and deepen relationships with clients.

“This is a particularly exciting year for us with the Commercial Dispute Resolution Team being recognised for the first time, a testament to the dedication and high-quality support offered by the team. A huge congratulations to all colleagues for this huge achievement.”