Browne Jacobson builds on momentum with National Firm of the Year and Partner of the Year awards

Browne Jacobson secured two of the legal sector’s most respected honours in one evening, winning National Firm of the Year at the Chambers and Partners Awards 2025 and Partner of the Year for Laura Hughes at Law.com’s British Legal Awards last night. 

The dual success reflects the UK and Ireland firm’s consistent upward trajectory and the impact its people are delivering for clients across the UK and Ireland.

National Firm of the Year: recognition of sustained excellence 

The Chambers award follows the firm’s strongest-ever performance in the Chambers UK Guide and Legal 500, with nine Band 1 rankings, recommendations across 39 practice areas, and, for the first time, more than 100 individual lawyer rankings. 

Seven new Chambers rankings this year further demonstrate the firm’s expanding national strength, including London Intellectual Property, Wales Corporate, Admin & Public Law, South West Real Estate, North West Litigation, Healthcare: Private Sector and Inquests. 

British Legal Awards Partner of the Year: celebrating outstanding leadership and impact 

Laura Hughes was named Partner of the Year, recognising her leadership, legal excellence and strategic influence across the public sector, government and Wales. 

Laura leads a 160-strong insurance and public risk department and a 40-strong public law team, advising central government, devolved administrations, regulators, local authorities and major public bodies on some of the most complex legislative, constitutional, regulatory and governance issues in the UK. Her client work has secured major national mandates including creation of the UK’s first combined county authority, driving economic growth and job creation. 

As co-founder of the firm's Cardiff office, she has driven growth from seven people to 35 in two years, with the team moving to Central Square in 2026. Beyond practice, Laura champions diversity, equity and inclusion, speaking at the UN's Global Empowerment and Inclusion Summit and championing the award-winning FAIRE social mobility programme in Wales in partnership with Welsh Government. 

Richard Medd, Managing Partner at Browne Jacobson, said: 
“Winning National Firm of the Year and Laura being named Partner of the Year on the same night reflects who we are today - ambitious, united and delivering exceptional work across our seven-office network. 

“These are not accidental wins. They are the result of sustained effort, collaboration and the belief our people bring to their work every day. Our strongest-ever directory results this year already demonstrated the depth of talent across the firm, and the impact Laura has made has been exceptional. These awards reinforce that momentum.” 

A firm built on ambition, impact and collaboration 

The double award win caps a year of significant progress across the firm from major client mandates across both the public sector and private sector to strategic lateral hires and more. 

Together, the Chambers and British Legal Awards successes reflect the firm’s sustained growth, the strength of its people, and its commitment to delivering advice that shapes policy, drives innovation and supports clients operating at the heart of society’s biggest issues.