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Richard Cripps

Managing Partner - West Kent (Hadlow)

8th October 2024

Rix & Kay – a unique ethos where all staff are valued

Industry peers praise Rix & Kay in the latest edition of Legal 500

“Rix & Kay is unique because of their ethos, which is refreshing. All staff are treated with respect and are valued by the firm, no matter their position. As a customer they always treat you fairly, they will always take the time to ensure you fully understand the situation and the decision making is supported. They also support the local community and the business community, in so many ways”.

“As a client, the key for me is technical competence, proactive and relevant advice coupled with strong personal relationships. It is rare to find all three so well catered for, and for me, Rix & Kay scores full marks here”.

Just two of the many client testimonials in the latest edition of Legal 500 that was published on 2 October 2024. Benchmarking law firm excellence since 1987, the Legal 500 law firm rankings highlight the practice areas of teams who are providing the most cutting edge and innovative advice to clients. Their research is based on feedback from clients and interviews with leading private practice lawyers, amongst other criteria.

Rix & Kay’s expertise has been recognised across all its core practice areas including Corporate, Dispute Resolution, Employment, Real Estate, Private Client and Family.

Legal 500 rankings include a summary of client quotes and testimonials that are collected by an independent team of researchers who have unrivalled experience in the legal market. Other highlights published include:

Corporate/M&A & Commercial

“Providing an invaluable service, the team is regarded for its specialist commercial advice as well as its deal making capacity. Kathryn Paisley, helms the practice, regularly advising clients on transactional issues and working closely with the Eurojuris network of international lawyers. Alan Zeal is also regarded for his experience in high value deals, as well as corporate restructuring, incentive arrangements, and director/employee equity agreements”.

“Kathryn Paisley is exceptional – she is expert, experienced and builds trusted relationships quickly which then leads to much more productive and quicker resolution of issues or establishing a point of view. I have worked on a number of deals with Kathryn, and she is simply superb”.

“Throughout the entire process of the sale of our company, Kathryn Paisley and Daniel Halls provided a wealth of knowledge. Both were always accessible and patient which helped to keep our stress levels down. With their expertise and guidance, the successful sale of our company was guaranteed”.

“The team at Rix & Kay are extremely personable. They genuinely care about our business and best interests. Nothing is too much trouble, and they are always happy to take the time to explain complex legal jargon and ensure we fully understand the detail. Compared to other firms we have engaged with, Rix & Kay value our business, not matter how large or small”.

Private Wealth Law / Personal Tax, Trusts and Probate

“The private client team at Rix & Kay is adept at handling specialist trust, tax, and succession planning issues, and advises business owners on complex asset and personal wealth arrangements. The firm also fields a later life team specialising in Lasting Powers of Attorney and Court of Protection work, and a probate team assisting with estate administration. The practice is led by Bruce Clarke, who is described as always on the ball.”

“As a client, the key for me is technical competence, proactive and relevant advice coupled with strong personal relationships. It is rare to find all three so well catered for, and for me, Rix & Kay scores full marks here”.

“I work with Bruce Clarke, who heads the Private Client team at Rix & Kay. He is always on the ball as far as my affairs are concerned, and makes his advice so personal and relevant at the same time”.

“The calm and excellent Max Wright advises on estate administration, mental capacity issues, and an array of probate matters. He is a calm and excellent lawyer dealing with high value estates”.

Ian Best – sensible knowledge and good personal attention”.

Real Estate / Commercial Property

“The team at Rix & Kay is led by managing partner Richard Cripps. Cripps is regarded for his experience in the agricultural sector and also acts on a range of residential and commercial development projects and portfolio acquisitions for a variety of clients”.

“Richard Cripps – commercially aware and no nonsense, concise advice”.

Employment

“Rix & Kay regularly provides operational and strategic employment advice to corporate clients and SMEs, offering support for M&A transactions and advising directors and senior managers on settlement agreements. The firm also operates GatekeeperHR, an HR solution service built to assist a range of business sizes. Elaine Abbs is regarded as very knowledgeable and able to provide information and guidance and is always helpful and supportive”.

“We mainly use the services of Rix & Kay for Employment Law advice. In most circumstances, these situations develop quickly, and decisive action is required almost immediately. The advice provided has been prompt and accurate and has assisted us in diffusing disputes efficiently”.

“Elaine Abbs has been our main point of contact; she developed a training programme for Line Managers and delivered the training in house. This has helped tremendously in diffusing potential difficult situations”.

“Elaine Abbs is very knowledgeable and able to provide information and guidance and is always helpful and supportive. She instils confidence. She responds quickly and has a very approachable and friendly manner as well as professional”.

“Their willingness to help and, even if the enquiry is outside their remit, they will seek advice or point you in the right direction in a constructive and helpful way”.

Dispute Resolution / Commercial Litigation

“The dispute resolution team advises large SME businesses and professional service firms, particularly accountants, on a range of commercial litigation”.

Louise Mackay and Katie McClean are key lawyers”

“From my dealings with the firm, as counsel instructed by them, I would describe them as friendly, helpful, relaxed, informal, sensible and practical to deal with. I suspect they are a very sound firm, when compared with some of the flashier but potentially less diligent and less attentive regional firms that you can find in the Surrey, Kent and Sussex corridor down from London”.

“As counsel I’ve really appreciated having a solicitor who I can work with and discuss things with and get real input from”.

Family and Matrimonial

“Rix & Kay take a thoughtful and combined approach to matters, including financial and children disputes concerning divorce and relationship breakdown. The knowledgeable, clear-sighted Janet Raeburn heads the team with her broad knowledge of complex financial agreements.

Rebecca Jones is highly experienced but excellent at advising clients on likely outcomes in emotionally difficult cases”.

”Janet Raeburn is knowledgeable, clear-sighted and utterly unflappable. Her cases are well-prepared and she has terrific judgment; you won’t find her running bad points or missing a trick. I have seen how Janet’s calm manner puts clients at ease and I think she manages to take a lot of the stress out of family litigation.”

”Rebecca Jones is a fantastic addition to the team. Decisive and switched on and easy to reach when you need her”.

“The family practitioners at Rix & Kay really do work as a team. Everyone I have dealt with has been friendly and professional and my impression is that they really care about giving clients the best possible service”.

”The team is pragmatic and extremely reliable. They take a thoughtful and combined approach for finances / TLATA and children matters”.

Agriculture, Estates and Rural Affairs

“The agriculture and rural business practice at Rix & Kay is led by managing partner Richard Cripps. The team is particularly skilled at handling property transactions, including diversification projects as well as farm sales and purchases. Bruce Clarke is another notable member of the team, and has experience advising on tax and succession planning issues, estate administration work, and personal wealth management mandates”.

“The team at Rix & Kay has a wealth of experience and understand the issues faced by the agricultural sector”.

“Richard Cripps demonstrated a deep knowledge of the development land sector as well as offered swift and pragmatic advice”.