Oxfordshire: Hedges Law recognised in legal rankings for first time

Hedges Law, a local law firm with offices in Wallingford and Oxford celebrating 230 years in business, has been listed for the first time as one of the best law firms and legal advisers worldwide after being ranked in this year’s The Legal 500 Buyer's Guide  and Chambers and Partners Guide.

After extensive analysis and research, The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners annual guides recognise the brightest and the best firms and individuals in the global legal profession. 

Established for 29 years, this year The Legal 500 highlighted Hedges Law’s family team in particular, describing Nicola Poole, managing director and head of the family team, as having ‘great experience in children disputes’, and also ‘expertise in complex high-net-worth financial remedy cases, disputes over inherited wealth, variation of maintenance cases and prenuptial agreements.’ 

Poole was also lauded by clients in this year’s Chamber and Partners for her ‘experience and razor-sharp judgement, further adding ‘she always goes the extra mile.’

Further individual Hedges team members also received special mentions in The Legal 500, including Carrie Rudge, described as ‘strong for divorce cases and has considerable experience of resolving arrangements for children’, and Laura Mortimer, who ‘has proven herself to be extremely capable at handling financial remedy cases – she is thorough and well organised’.

Established in Wallingford in 1789 by John Hedges, Hedges Law has continually been a cornerstone of the local community. As a family law firm, Hedges had a family member as senior partner for 193 years until Sir John Hedges retired from the business in 1982. Today, led by MD and major shareholder Nicola Poole, who began her career at Hedges 15 years ago working part-time, the firm specialises in property, family law, business, and private client services and is renowned for its high end, highly professional and personal service.

Poole said “Being listed for the first time by two such prestigious bodies, The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners, is the culmination of and testament to all the hard work we have been working towards as a team. We are thrilled to be recognised for our client services that we continually strive to excel in each and every case. The Hedges Law motto is ‘Making the Difference’, to clients and to each other, and this lies at the very heart of our culture. It is why we do what we do, and I congratulate and thank our highly dedicated team who work passionately and tirelessly to continually provide exceptional client service.”

Poole is also part of a group of women currently tackling the Women V Cancer India challenge.  As part of a women-only team of cyclists riding through rural Rajasthan in India, they are testing their endurance levels to support the work of three charities: Breast Cancer Care, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust and Ovarian Cancer Action.  The group will cycle almost 500 km in just five days – both on and off road – experiencing rural India at its most raw and colourful.  Poole's fundraising page (Nikki Poole) can be found here on Just Giving.