Law firm’s Immigration team retains top tier in Legal 500

Sydney Mitchell’s Immigration team retains its top tier ranking in this year’s edition of the Legal 500 directory, together with superb editorial comment and great results across the rankings with listings in 14 practice areas.

This includes Tier 2 rankings for the firm’s Family, Personal Tax, Trusts, Private Client and Debt Recovery teams.

André Minnaar, partner and head of the firm’s Immigration team, remains the only leading partner in his area of expertise recognised in this year’s directory.

“With a strong LGBTQI” following, André is recognised for heading up an “extremely efficient team” which is “friendly, knowledgeable and responsive”. Colleague, Melissa Southall, is also recognised in the directory as a leading associate.

Karen Moores, Sydney Mitchell’s senior partner, is also recognised as a leading partner for the fourth year running. Moores co-leads Sydney Mitchell’s “professional and attentive” family team alongside Mauro Vinti, with the team’s senior associate Gemma Whitchurch noted as “playing a pivotal role in the department too”.

Emma-Louise Hewitt, who leads the firm’s Employment team, continues to be ranked as a next-generation partner, with Legal 500 describing her as: “Organised, pays close attention to detail and is always on the ball”.

Associate Heleena Gandham enters the rankings for the first time this year, being recognised as a leading associate for her work in debt recovery, dispute resolution and professional negligence.

Sydney Mitchell’s Private Client, Commercial Litigation and Real Estate Property Litigation teams also receive Legal 500’s impressive editorial comments.

Tracy Creed, head of the firm’s Private Client team, is praised for her, “genuine approach to care for clients and always going the extra mile”.

Private client partner, Shelley Collingbourne, is noted as a significant member of the practice. Real estate property litigator, Leanne Schneider-Rose, is for her expertise and “real understanding of the law”, and commercial litigation partner Dean Parnell, is praised as an “outstanding negotiator”.

Karen Moores (pictured) said: “We are delighted to have retained our top tier ranking in the 2025 edition for our Immigration team, and continued high rankings for our Family, Private Client, Dispute Resolution and Insolvency practice areas.

“It is rewarding to see many of our lawyers recognised as first rate and praised for their professionalism and genuine approach to care for their clients.”

For 33 years, The Legal 500 has been analysing the capabilities of law firms across the world, with a comprehensive research programme revised and updated every year to bring the most up-to-date vision of the global legal market.

The Legal 500 assesses the strengths of law firms in over 150 jurisdictions and research is based on: feedback from 300,000 clients worldwide, submissions from law firms and interviews with leading private practice lawyers, and a team of researchers who have unrivalled experience in the legal market.

All rankings and listings in the 2025 UK edition are available here.