Stowe Family Law (Stowe) is delighted to share its successes in the Legal 500 2026 Directory. Legal 500 is an international legal directory, compiling top lawyers, barristers, law firms and chambers across the world.
The annual rankings are constructed by a dedicated, impartial research team, and based on a range of factors including specific criteria and independent feedback from industry professionals. Ranking in the Legal 500 Directory is through merit only.
Stowe success in the 2026 Directory
Four lawyers have made the individual rankings this year. 54 lawyers have been recommended, with 20 new names added this year. This reflects the depth and breadth of talent across the teams.
11 regions have been ranked for 2026, and Stowe’s Beds, Bucks and Herts region has entered the ranking for the first time at Tier 2.
Individual successes
Congratulations to Hollie Murray for once again achieving the Leading Associate ranking. Sarah Crilly and Marjha Golding-Evans have again been named as Next Generation Partners, and Sebastian Burrows has once again achieved the Leading Partner ranking.
Regional Achievements
East Midlands
The East Midlands region, ranking at Tier 3, has been described as having lawyers who are ‘efficient and competent, with a keen approach to ensuring their clients’ requests are met in the correct manner’. Managing Partner Beth Sheridan is a Recommended Lawyer and described as a ‘credit to the firm’. She is noted as an ‘exceptional leader’ and has the ability to ‘navigate complex family law matters’ helping client ‘move forward with confidence’.
Team Leader Partner Florence Ashcroft-Lane is a Recommended Lawyer this year, and noted for her skills in navigating complex legal matters. She is ‘very personable’ and shows ‘a lot of empathy’.
Florence is joined by ‘amazing’ and ‘attentive’ Senior Associate Luanne Morton, who is noted as giving ‘excellent, professional advice’. Sarah McLoughlin, Senior Associate, joins Luanne as a Recommended Lawyer and described as ‘very helpful and understanding’
North
Stowe’s North region is ranked Tier 3 in the 2026 Directory. The lawyers’ ‘preparation is always excellent’ and they ‘take a tailored approached to each case’. Specialising in complex financial and children matters, they ‘consistently demonstrate a calm and reassuring demeanour’.
Partner Sarah Crilly has been recognised for the fourth consecutive year as a Next Generation Partner. This reflects her strong skillset in all family law matters, and her dedicated to client service. She will ‘very much fight for her clients’.
Senior Associate Hollie Murray retains her ranking as a Leading Associate. She is praised for dealing with cases in ‘a cooperative manner to find solutions to progress cases in a non-confrontational way’.
‘Top-notch lawyer’ Nicky Hunter, Team Leader Partner, is again a Recommended Lawyer, praised for her creativity and ‘constructive approach’. She is joined by Senior Associate David Allen, who has been commended for his ‘professionalism, empathy, and unwavering attention to detail’.
Northwest
Stowe’s Northwest region has been ranked Tier 3 this year, retaining its position for the fifth consecutive year. The team is described as ‘excellent’ with a ‘well-deserved reputation. They are known for giving ‘honest, transparent advice’ and focusing on ‘achieving the best possible outcome’.
Managing Partner Nastassia Burton is a Recommended Lawyer again this year, and she is described as ‘marvellous’. She is joined by ‘outstanding’ Team Leader Partner Camilla Burton-Baddeley who is ‘exceptionally good with clients’.
Rebecca Finnigan is also a Recommended Lawyer and praised for her ‘calm, clear approached [that] offered both reassurance and strength’. Helen Miller, Managing Partner, is described as a dedicated leader.
Hampshire
We are pleased that Hampshire has retained its Tier 3 ranking in this year’s Directory.
Beds, Bucks, Herts, Middx
This region has entered the rankings for the first time, at Tier 2. This is a fantastic achievement and testament to the hard work and exceptional client care delivered by the ‘very effective’ team.
Maryana Tuka, Partner, has been noted as a Recommended Lawyer. Feedback has said she is ‘extremely detailed and hardworking’ and a ‘delightful lawyer’.
She is joined by ‘empathetic and supportive’ Team Leader Partner Annabel Hayward and ‘impressive’ Senior Associate Natalie Nero.
Kent, Surrey, Sussex
The Kent, Surrey and Sussex region is ranked at Tier 4 this year. The team of lawyers is described as being ‘very friendly and very client focused’.
Team Leader Partner Gemma Thew is a Recommended Lawyer this year. Feedback has called her a ‘talented solicitor with a great commitment to client care’. She is joined by her colleague, Team Leader Partner Niamh McCarthy, a ‘well respected and knowledgeable’ lawyer.
Jenine Imms, Team Leader Partner, is noted for her skill in ‘establishing a bond with clients’ and for being ‘approachable and hardworking’.
Thames Valley, Berks, Oxon, M4/M40
Improving its ranking this year from a Tier 4 to a Tier 3, the Thames Valley team has been hailed as a ‘sensitive team with a human touch’ with a ‘grounded knowledge of financial remedy work…minimising conflict and cost’.
Senior Associate Emily Beven is recognised as a Recommended Lawyer for the first time this year. She is described as ‘a no-nonsense solicitor who gives robust and sound advice. She leaves no stone unturned’.
She is joined by ‘meticulous’ Partner Jo Backwith, who is ‘very approachable and provides excellent customer service’ particularly by balancing ‘firm advice diplomatically in emotionally charged situations’.
South West
The ‘thoroughly knowledgeable and approachable’ South West team has retained its Tier 3 ranking. They are praised for the depth across the team, and it is noted that their ‘level of client care is fantastic’.
Partner Joanna Newton is again a Recommended Lawyer in the Directory. She has ‘clear, practical solutions’ and is ‘hugely knowledgeable and efficient, takes no nonsense from opponents’. She is joined by Team Leader Partner Zoe Carter, who is praised for her ‘ability to see the wood from the trees’.
Solicitor Courtney Rooney appears for the first time in this year’s Directory as a Recommended Lawyer, a fantastic achievement. She is described as ‘friendly, approachable and understanding’.
‘Impressive’ Katy Milner, Senior Associate, appears again this year, and is noted for having ‘excellent client care skills’.
Team Leader Partner Rachel Fisher is hailed as being ‘a very skilled and attentive lawyer’ who is ‘willing to try new approaches’. Her client care is described as ‘second-to-none’.
Wales
Wales has increased its ranking this year to Tier 2, as a result of the client focus of the team and its ‘detail-oriented and empathetic’ lawyers.
Managing Partner Marjha Golding-Evans has ranked as a Next Generation Partner, a brilliant testament to her leadership skills and dedicated to family law matters. She is described as ‘a thoughtful, caring and highly-skilled advocate’.
Team Leader Partner Lauren Roche is noted as a Recommended Lawyer, with feedback calling her ‘superb’.
West Midlands
The region has once again retained its Tier 2 ranking as a result of the ‘solid, hard-working team’. The team are known for collaborating well and their ‘breadth of expertise both in financial remedy and private law children matters’.
The team is further hailed as being ‘completely unflappable’ and praised for ‘consistently [demonstrating] their client focus’.
Managing Partner Rebecca Calden-Storr is noted for her leadership and ‘extensive experience in both high-net-worth financial remedy and complex children matters’. Her client care is described as ‘excellent’.
Team Leader Partner Claire Cleary is a ‘first class lawyer’, and as a Legal 500 Recommended Lawyer ‘provides exemplary service’. She is joined by Sara Morton, Team Leader Partner, who is recommended for her attention to detail.
Emma Gibson, Senior Associate, enters the Directory for the first time this year as a Recommended Lawyer. Her work is described as ‘excellent, both in terms of client care and in considering the overall strategy of a case’.
Leeds, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire
Continuing to retain its Tier 2 title, the region is praised for its ‘really strong’ teamwork, and offering a ‘high level of service’. The lawyers’ ‘prodigious talent’ is noted and they are seen as a force in family law.
‘Fantastic’ Partner Angela Sussens is a Recommended Lawyer. She is joined by Shanika Haynes, Team Leader Partner, who is described as ‘highly competent and effective’. Her work in litigation is ‘excellent’ and she is ‘meticulous’.
Team Leader Partner Katie Kilburn is Recommended, and described as a ‘very talented, personable lawyer with first-class client care skills’.