"The Manchester legal scene is more vibrant than we could ever have imagined" - meet the winners of the 2022 Manchester legal awards

After the countless challenges of the past couple of years, Manchester Law Society were thrilled to be back in person and celebrating the achievements of Manchester's law firms at their first face-to-face event since the pandemic. Hosted at the prestigious Midland Hotel in central Manchester on June 9, the thirteenth Manchester Legal Awards recognised the masses of legal talent in the region.

Celebrating firms of all sizes as well as the progression of the legal profession itself, the results were brimming with unexpected twists and turns. A representative from Harbour, the sponsor of the large law firm of the year award, attested that Manchester's Law scene is energetic and thriving, and that a great night was had by all.

They said: “We’re visiting from London, and it's great to see the Manchester legal scene is more vibrant than we could ever have imagined. It’s great to see people back and enjoying themselves and I think we are going to have to come to Manchester more often."

Paul Johnson, the president of the Manchester Law Society, said: "I am immensely proud to be standing here as President of Manchester Law Society and to have the opportunity to celebrate with you the incredible achievements and talent in our legal community.

"Yet again, this year has seen us receive a huge number of submissions and the standard has been truly exceptional. The quality of those submissions is testament to the fact that the Manchester legal profession is thriving and we all have much to celebrate and be proud of. It made for a very difficult day of judging at Squire Patton Boggs' offices one Friday last month."

Read on to discover who the deserving winners were, and what the award meant to them.

Winner - Nigel Shepherd, Mills &