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Browne Jacobson

Unique selling points

  • Strong reputation for providing specialised legal advice to a wide range of sectors, including healthcare, education, insurance, technology, and public sector organisations.
  • Carries out work for private clients, including c-suite executives and in-house lawyers, as well as for corporates, investment funds and public bodies.
  • Uniquely, the firm has a “Barrister and Advocacy Expertise” department.
  • Headquartered in Nottingham, the firm has particular expertise in the UK, with five offices across the country including London, Manchester and Exeter, and augments this UK-focus with partnerships with law firms across the world.
  • Works on a variety of fascinating pro bono projects including LawWorks, Business in the Community and Reach Out 2 Kids.
  • Committed to innovation which is illustrated by the firm’s development of the Innovation Lifecycle for the higher education sector, and its work with Stroll. 
  • Consistently involved in interesting, complex cases, including the purchase of the Homebase brand by CDS Superstores, the company behind the Range, and advising 200 Degrees on its acquisition by the Caffè Nero Group. 

We cover these selling points in more detail below, alongside other relevant firm facts and characteristics.

Practice areas / services

Browne Jacobson is a full-service law firm, with a broad range of practice areas including:

  • Barrister and Advocacy Expertise
  • Construction and Engineering
  • Corporate and Commercial 
  • Employment
  • Disputes and Litigation
  • Information Technology
  • Intellectual Property
  • International
  • Private Clients
  • Real Estate
  • Regulatory
  • Restructuring and Insolvency 

Chambers and Partners, a leading analyst of the legal market, has awarded Browne Jacobson its highest ‘Band 1’ ranking for the following departments: Court of Protection: Health & Welfare (Public Sector Clients), Education: Institutions (Schools), Healthcare: Public and Third Sector and Local Government. See here for more information

Key sectors / industries

Browne Jacobson services a broad range of industries, with some of its highest-value clients operating in the following sectors:

In addition, Browne Jacobson services the following industries: Real Estate and construction, Energy and infrastructure, Financial Services, Insurance, Manufacturing and industrials, Not for profit and charities, Private clients and Technology. 

Work

Browne Jacobson is consistently involved in interesting, complex work. Examples include: 

  • CDS Superstores: The firm advised CDS Superstores, the company behind The Range and wilko, on its acquisition of the Homebase brand name, intellectual property and up to 70 UK stores. 
  • 200 Degrees: Browne Jacobson advised coffee roaster 200 Degrees on its acquisition by the Caffè Nero Group. 
  • Staffordshire Moorlands District Council: The firm advised the council on the deal to acquire Cheadle Market for £260,000 after it was put up for sale in a live auction. 

Older examples

  • Charterpoint: the firm advised Nottingham-based developer Charterpoint on the sale of a 1.2 acre care home development site. 
  • Charles Pugh Holdings: the corporate team at Browne Jacobson advised the shareholders of UK automotive glass specialists, Charles Pugh Holdings, on its sale to a Swedish car care group. 
  • Coniston Capital: the firm advised Coniston Capital on its management buyout of bespoke kitchen design manufactures Harvey Jones. 

Offices / global footprint / expansion

Headquarters: Nottingham, Mowbray House

Offices: Browne Jacobson is a national firm with 7 offices located across the UK. Locations include Cardiff, London and Manchester. 

Insights, internships and other opportunities

Browne Jacobson offers several opportunities for students to gain an insight into working life at the firm. For those seeking to attain a casual idea of what it is like to train as a lawyer with Browne Jacobson, the firm’s ‘Trainee Talk’ blog provides honest and informal insights into working life. For individuals with their sights set on a training contract, the firm’s Summer Vacation Scheme enables attendees to enjoy training and development activities, before eventually interviewing for a training contract. 

Training contract

Browne Jacobson offers a four-seat training contract, with each seat lasting six months. Whilst the first seat is chosen by the firm, trainees are free to select where they undertake their remaining three seats. There are two main routes to getting onto the programme: via placement on the firm’s summer vacation scheme or via direct application. During the programme, trainees can expect to gain valuable experience tackling challenging work and getting involved in pro bono opportunities, whilst receiving regular support from supervisors.  

Secondments

Opportunities for secondments are rare at Browne Jacobson. Trainees are unlikely to be offered the chance to undertake a placement outside of the firm, although accommodations can occasionally be made for those particularly eager to be seconded. For those unable to complete a placement during their training contracts, the firm does offer the chance for qualified solicitors to gain experience working at clients. 

Technology and innovation

Browne Jacobson is committed to utilising technology to provide clients with flexible and innovative legal services, with related initiatives including:

  • Innovation Lifecycle: The firm has developed its own Innovation Lifecycle product aimed at taking university projects from concept to commercial success, which provides legal advice on areas including corporate, tax, IP, charities and subsidy control. 
  • Sustainability Steering Group: Browne Jacobson has established a sustainability steering group which helps oversee the firm’s creation, execution and review of its environmental strategies. 
  • Strolll: The firm worked with Strolll on contracts for their ground-breaking augmented reality technology which helps Parkinson’s disease patients regain independence by improving their strength and mobility.
Corporate social responsibility

Browne Jacobson regards its pro bono endeavours as an “extension” of the firm’s “passion for the education sector and commitment to providing exceptional service”. Examples of projects carried out by the firm include:

  • LawWorks: The firm launched a pro bono strategy in partnership with LawWorks which aims to increase and focus its community impact. 
  • Business in the Community: Browne Jacobson is a strategic partner to Business in the Community, which is a membership organisation dedicated to responsible business. The firm helps to support the drive for change on issues affecting local business communities. 
  • Reach Out 2 Kids: The firm works with Reach Out 2 Kids which is a charity focused on helping forge connections between young people from diverse, lower income backgrounds and professional role models.

Diversity and inclusion

According to Browne Jacobson, corporate responsibility means fostering a “great place to work”. To this end, the firm has launched a number of initiatives and won a number of awards relating to supporting its employees and community, some of which include: 

  • Sustainable Gender Balance Programme: The firm’s Sustainable Gender Balance Programme is designed to provide the levers and mechanisms to support a more representative workforce throughout the firm. 
  • DEI Training: Browne Jacobson has rolled out mandatory firm-wide DEI training which includes conscious inclusion and anti-racism. 
  • Pride Network: The firm launched its internal Pride Network which aims to help the LGBTQ+ community within the firm host events and raise awareness of issues.