Olliers has maintained its Tier One ranking for General Crime and Fraud in the North West in the Legal 500 United Kingdom 2027 edition, while its Health practice has been promoted to Tier Two.
The latest edition of the Legal 500 also recognises the continued development of Olliers' specialist team, with Matthew Corn newly ranked as a Leading Partner in Crime and Fraud and Martha Odysseos newly ranked as a Leading Associate in Health.
Matthew Claughton has retained his status as a Leading Partner in Crime and Fraud, while Gareth Martin remains ranked as a Next Generation Partner.
Tier One Crime and Fraud
Olliers has once again been recognised as a Tier One firm for General Crime and Fraud in the North West, maintaining its position in the top tier of the Legal 500 rankings.
The 2027 Guide describes Olliers as "one of the preeminent law firms in the North West for crime and fraud", highlighting the firm's work across corporate and financial crime, regulatory offences and serious crime.
The Guide also recognises the breadth of the team's work, from serious fraud and financial crime through to terrorism, drug importation, regulatory investigations and pre-charge matters.
Matthew Claughton continues to head the practice and retains his ranking as a Leading Partner.
Matthew Corn has been newly recognised as a Leading Partner in the 2027 Guide. The Guide highlights his specialism in serious crime, including cases involving terrorism and drug importation.
Gareth Martin retains his ranking as a Next Generation Partner, while Laura Baumanis, Toby Wilbraham are also recognised for their experience in pre-charge matters, sexual offences and police interview representation.
The Legal 500's client feedback includes:
- "Olliers is the best in the North West and a contender for the best criminal legal team nationwide."
- "Strong throughout. They have built up a firm reputation as one of the strongest practices in the NW."
- "The team is built of a number of superstars."
- Olliers are a long way ahead of all their Northern-based competitors both in the quality of the service and also in the way they organize themselves and approach practice generally. The success rate in a very wide range of criminal cases is phenomenal. There are some solicitors there who routinely win in excess of 95% of their cases (full acquittal after trial). Their work in preparations for sentence mitigation has set the blueprint that other firms are now trying to follow. They spend time thinking of everything from the way they market themselves to the way they interact with clients, work with counsel, and reward their staff. They provide a premium service, but also maintain a publicly funded element to their practice to provide a service to all and offer the best training and career choices to their team. The management team differs from the vast majority of firms in that when they identify efficiencies and better ways of delivering the service, they actually plan it and ensure they roll it out, as opposed to being too busy to do a proper job. They deserve all the awards they are winning.
Client feedback for Olliers' specialist criminal solicitors
Zita Spencer
"Close to 100% success rate in the defence of sexual offences trials. Possibly the most effective sexual offence specialist nationally. Rightly in very high demand but manages her caseload and each client brilliantly, instills confidence and trust from the first meeting and maintains that relationship for the duration of the case. There is no tactic that Zita has not deployed successfully at some point or another, she knows all the tricks and she knows what works and when to use it. The number of clients' lives that Zita has had a monumental impact on must be in the hundreds. If you need the very best then look no further."
Matthew Corn
"Matt Corn is the go-to solicitor for serious crime in the North West. He is extremely hardworking with excellent judgment. He puts his all into each case and leaves no stone unturned."
Toby Wilbraham
"Toby Wilbraham, master tactician, superb lawyer, steadfast determination. When Toby gets the bit between his teeth, there is no better solicitor to have on your side."
Laura Baumanis
"Laura Baumanis, superb on the defence of sexual offences, one of the premier solicitors on circuit in this area, clients love her and she has a high success rate."
Alex Close-Claughton
"Alex Close-Claughton is a very safe pair of hands when it comes to serious violence, drugs offenses, and dishonesty cases. He is regularly involved in substantial multi-handed cases that gather public interest. His no-nonsense, straight-to-the-point approach is attracting wide acclamation."
Martha Odysseos
"Martha Odysseos is an associate at the firm who is on a trajectory like no other solicitor I have seen for some time. She handles work that would usually be reserved for senior partners and seems to be securing the best results on a very regular basis. Within Olliers, she seems to be every senior solicitor's recommendation. Martha brings a calmness and methodical approach to her cases which, coupled with her outstanding work ethic and persistence, are winning a reputation that is attracting significant attention. Martha is set to be at the forefront of the profession in years to come."
Health practice promoted to Tier Two
The 2027 Guide also marks a significant development for Olliers' regulatory and professional discipline work, with its Health practice promoted to Tier Two in the North West.
The practice was previously recognised as a firm to watch in the category.
The Legal 500 highlights Olliers' particular specialism in professional discipline, drawing on the firm's criminal defence and regulatory experience to advise healthcare professionals and organisations on business crime and regulatory matters, including investigations and prosecutions arising from professional conduct.
Gareth Martin leads the Health practice in Manchester, advising on disciplinary matters from initial investigation through to final hearing.
Martha Odysseos and James Claughton are also recognised as key members of the team, with the Guide highlighting the firm's growing regulatory focus and particular emphasis on investigator engagement.
Martha has also been newly ranked as a Leading Associate in the 2027 Guide.
Client feedback describes Gareth Martin as "exceptional", highlighting his technical knowledge, judgment and strategic insight, while another testimonial praised the team's "truly bespoke and boutique approach to client care."
"Gareth Martin is exceptional. He has played a leading role in building a department that continues to go from strength to strength and has developed a well-deserved reputation in the market. He is a genuine expert in healthcare regulatory and professional discipline work, combining outstanding technical knowledge with excellent judgment and strategic insight. Gareth is approachable, pragmatic, and highly effective with clients, providing clear advice and confident leadership in even the most challenging cases."
Continued recognition for the Olliers team
The latest Legal 500 rankings reflect the continued development of Olliers' specialist criminal defence and regulatory practices, with recognition across both established and emerging members of the team.
Ruth Peters, Business Development & Marketing Director at Olliers, said:
"Our continued success in the Legal 500 rankings is testament to the specialist talent at the firm and our outstanding client care."
Olliers is a specialist criminal defence and regulatory law firm advising individuals, businesses and organisations across areas including serious crime, corporate and financial crime, regulatory law, professional discipline, health and safety, sexual offences, inquests and public inquiries.