No. of offices 4 No. of employees 346 (total staff) Founded 1950 Number of offices 4 | No. of lawyers 173 Date founded 1950 Number of employees 346 (total staff) | |
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Key people Ian Jeffery
(Partner and Chief Executive)
Michael Burd
(Partner and Chair)
Giles Crown (Partner)
James Davies (Partner) Company type Limited Liability Partnership Profiles | ||
Interview with alan hunt and geraint lloyd taylor from lewis silkin llp
Lewis Silkin LLP is a law firm with offices in London, Oxford, Cardiff and Hong Kong. The firm has 60 partners, 173 lawyers and total staff of over 300 people.
Contents
History
The firm was established in 1950 in Rye Lane, Peckham as Lewis Silkin and Partners by John Silkin, son of the firm's founding father Lewis Silkin. Lewis himself joined the practice full-time in the 1950s after leaving the House of Commons and relinquishing some parliamentary duties he had undertaken on first becoming a peer. Lewis then opened an office in Westminster to complement the existing office in Peckham. The Peckham office was initially a general practice, providing what we know today as 'high street' services. The Westminster office specialised in planning law and development permits. During his time in Government and as Minister of Town and Country Planning, Lewis Silkin had been known as the 'architect' of our town and country planning policies.
The firm today
Based in London, Oxford, Cardiff and Hong Kong the firm's practice covers:
The firm acts for many global employers advising them on employment, reward and immigration issues.
The firm has a long history of working with clients in the creative industries (advertising, marketing, media). It provides these clients with a range of legal services including advice on mergers and acquisitions, reputation management and intellectual property advice.
The firm has established practices in urban regeneration and mixed-use development. The firm's social housing practice has been "highly regarded" by external commentators such as Legal 500 and Chambers for more than two decades. The firm's related real estate and development practices are similarly highly regarded and ranked by the Legal 500 and Chambers.
International
The firm is a member of two 'best of breed' international networks. Ius Laboris is a global alliance of employment law specialist firms and The Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance comprises experts internationally in that field.
Corporate social responsibility
Lewis Silkin LLP supports a number of charities including Helen and Douglas House, a hospice for terminally ill children and young adults. The firm has taken part in several fundraising events over the years, including the 3 Peaks Challenge in 2011, a 30-hour non-stop "Spinathon" and staging a pantomime in 2012. In 2013, the firm took part in a charity shop takeover for Ty Hafan and cycle to Amsterdam for Helen and Douglas House.
In 2014, the firm organised an "alternative" triathlon to raise money for Oxford Homeless Pathways.
The firm was among the first employers to be accredited by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage employer.
In 2014, the firm was awarded Best Social Mobility Program at the Managing Partners Forum awards.