Howells Solicitors Awards

Family Law – Cardiff
2nd Tier firm

Howells Solicitors' two-partner team handles a wide range of family law matters, from public/private child law matters through to high-net-worth divorces. The team is also one of the few firms in south Wales with a legal aid franchise for family work and is therefore also able to handle publicly-funded mandates. Team head Gerard Griffiths has a particular niche representing police officers in their divorces and has developed true insight into the peculiarities and complexities inherent in police pensions.

Practice head(s): Gerard Griffiths

Other key lawyers: Jayne Hunt

Contentious Trusts and Probate
2nd Tier Firm – Leading Individual Laith Khatib

Benefiting from the expertise of two partners with a real focus on contentious trusts and probate work, Howells Solicitors has an excellent reputation in the market, as is reflected by the amount of third party referrals it receives, in addition to standalone mandates from many high-net-worth south Wales-based individuals. 'Very well-respected' team head Laith Khatib has expertise across the gamut of contentious probate matters, and represents both claimants and defendants on cases involving will validity. Paul Lindsey also has a thriving reputation in the market and is appreciated for his ability 'to put clients at ease and to explain the process without recourse to unnecessary legalese'.

Practice Head(s): Laith Khatib

Other key lawyers: Paul Lindsey

Personal Tax, Trusts and Probate
3nd Tier Firm - Leading Individual Laith Khatib

Regularly referred work from other law firms, as well as local accountants/financial advisers, Howells Solicitors excels in providing a bespoke service to clients seeking to protect their assets through effective estate planning and in the subsequent administration of their trusts and estates. Both Laith Khatib and Paul Lindsey are 'held in high regard among the south Wales private client community' and regularly provide contentious and non-contentious advice to many wealthy families in the region.

Practice Head(s): Laith Khatib

Other key lawyers: Paul Lindsey

TESTIMONIALS

'The team is equivalent in both size and technical ability as some of the larger firms in Cardiff'
'Laith Khatib is unfailingly polite and courteous and always gets excellent results for his clients'
'Paul Lindsey has always been able to strike a perfect balance between handling matters from the straightforward, to the very complex, while maintaining an unrivalled level of client care'

Employment
5th Tier Firm

Appreciated for its 'customer service and attention to detail', Howells Solicitors remains best-known for its very effective service on behalf of claimants across a range of contentious matters in the south Wales region. The departure in August 2018 of former team head David Lewis to Capital Law Limited was somewhat of a setback for the firm, however, this was offset to a large degree by the arrival in July 2018 of Bethan Southcombe from NewLaw Solicitors, who has effectively developed the firm's growing respondent practice through the reintroduction of a monthly retainer service aimed at local SME businesses.

Practice head(s): Bethan Southcombe (non-contentious); Gemma Bailey (contentious)

TESTIMONIALS

'The very empathetic and skilled Gemma Bailey is excellent at claimant contentious work.'

WORK HIGHLIGHTS

• Successfully represented the client in a case brought against her former employer for constructive unfair dismissal.