Law firm Birketts has won and been shortlisted for a selection of awards in recent weeks after picking up the Norfolk and Norwich Law Society Excellence Award for its commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion at the end of September.
Since then, the UK Top 50 law firm has picked up the award for Contentious Wills & Probate Team of the Year – Boutique at The British Wills & Probate Awards and the Legal Services Award at the Social Care Top 30 ceremony.
Birketts has also been shortlisted for two awards at the LexisNexis Family Law Awards 2024 and has been shortlisted six times at the Central & East Dealmakers Awards 2024 for Corporate Law Firm of the Year, International Deal of the Year (Acquisition of 4 Mercedes-Benz dealerships by Group 1 Automotive UK), Corporate Lawyer of the Year (Alexandra Nelson), Deal of the Year (sub £10m) Acquisition of Broom Boats and Broom Marine Services by Horning Pleasurecraft as well as Deal of the Year (£10m+) Sale of Castons Consulting to Artelia Holding SAS and Sale of Seed Environmental Group to Inflexion-backed Celnor Group.
Birketts was recognised at the Norfolk and Norwich Law Society Excellence Awards for a number of initiatives the firm has put in place to boost gender equality, social mobility, inclusion and pro bono initiatives. Specific programmes for women at the firm, such as Birketts’ Clearing the Pathway to Leadership and Pathway to Partner initiatives have been instrumental in Birketts increasing the number of women partners to 41% of the partnership, up 13% since 2020.
Birketts’ social mobility initiatives, employee led inclusion initiatives and its pro bono and charity commitments played a key role in winning the Law Society Excellence award.
Bernadette Baker, Chair of Birketts’ People and Culture Committee, said: “We are truly delighted to have received this recognition for the work we have been doing in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion. It is so encouraging to see that the firm’s initiatives are bearing fruit and making a huge difference. We set ourselves ambitious targets when it comes to being an inclusive law firm and we will continue to do so.”
On winning the Social Care Top 30 Legal Services Award, Greg Allan, Partner and Head of Independent Healthcare Team, said: “We are extremely proud of this incredible achievement. It’s a reflection of our Independent Healthcare Team’s hard work and dedication to the social care sector. It’s also a testament to the Birketts approach of meeting our clients’ needs, drawing across different legal disciplines to deliver a full service to the sector, including corporate and commercial matters, property, employment, confidentiality and data protection, CQC issues and representing clients in Care Standard Tribunal proceedings.”
On being shortlisted for two LexisNexis Family Law Awards, Katie Beaven, Partner in Birketts’ Family Team said: “We are very proud to have been shortlisted in two categories at this year’s awards. It’s a wonderful acknowledgement of the team’s dedication and collaborative spirit over the last year. We are delighted to have been recognised and we are looking forward to celebrating at the awards ceremony.”
Following The British Wills & Probate Awards win, Bernadette Baker, who is also Head of Private Wealth Disputes, said: “It is an honour for the whole team and Birketts as a whole to be recognised at The British Wills & Probate Awards and it reflects the hard work and dedication the team has put in over the last year. Private client disputes can be very personal for those involved, often because they involved family members, which is why here at Birketts we have looked to tailor what we offer to make it as easy as possible for our clients to navigate when they are facing a dispute concerning their own personal affairs. This acknowledgement of our efforts to put our clients’ needs first goes to the heart of what Birketts is about.”
