Freeths Senior Partner Philippa Dempster wins Law Firm Leader of the Year at Law.com Women, Influence, Power and Law Awards 2023  

These awards honour top women lawyers who have made a remarkable difference in the legal profession this past year – whether in shaping the law, achieving outstanding results for clients, being an outstanding lawyer or assisting those in need of legal services.

Philippa stood out amongst stiff competition from Eversheds Sunderland, Ashurst, Milberg and more. 

The win follows years of dedication from Philippa in shaping diversity and inclusion at the firm since she took on the role of Senior Partner in the Freeths management team in 2020. As well as her leadership role, she is still a highly regarded dispute resolution lawyer, recognised in the Best Lawyers in England 2020 for Litigation law and has previously been included in The Lawyer’s Hot 100 lawyers list. 

As lead of the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Network and chair of the Black Lawyers Network, Philippa was recognised for her efforts and passion in social mobility in the workplace, having come from a family where she was the first to attend university.

Commenting on the success, Chairman Julian Middleton said: “This award win is testament to Philippa’s work in fostering a truly inclusive culture at Freeths. She is committed to ensuring equality across all of our offices and has been a real inspiration to many across the firm in recent years as we have transitioned and enjoyed a continued period of record growth. 

“Down-to-earth and authentic, Philippa’s outstanding market profile is driven by her unwavering commitment to the firm’s people and their careers.”

Philippa Dempster added: “I’m thrilled and honoured to be recognised as Law.com Leader of the Year in the Women, Influence, Power and Law Awards 2023. For me, my role in supporting diversity and inclusion at Freeths has been made thoroughly joyous due to the level of talent and passion of our workforce.”