Ridley & Hall secures Berwins Solicitors’ family and property cases to open new Harrogate office

Award-winning law firm Ridley & Hall has marked its 100th year by further expanding its specialist legal services with the opening of a new office in Harrogate.

Already with offices in Huddersfield, Leeds, Pontefract and Barnsley, it moved quickly to agree a deal to take more than 400 family and property cases from Berwins Solicitors after it filed notice of intention to appoint an administrator.

The move, which has seen Ridley & Hall open its new Harrogate office in the WorkWell Offices at Copthall Bridge, also includes the recruitment of senior, experienced members of the Berwins team.

Emma Pearmaine, managing director of Ridley & Hall, said the move – and the speed at which the firm reacted - reflected its current strength, and ambition, to continue growing.

“The fact that we were able to react so quickly and approach Berwins to take on these cases, and offer immediate employment to a number of people, is a reflection of the strength and agility of our business,” said Ms Pearmaine.

“We’ve recruited some exceptional legal talent and we are delighted to welcome them to the Ridley & Hall team.

“We know they will bring a great deal of expertise to our business and ensure our Harrogate office is established on a solid footing.

“Equally, whilst it is obviously sad to see any legal firm, especially one of Berwins’ history and standing, be in a position where it has to appoint administrators, our swift action has also brought reassurance to hundreds of clients who were potentially facing significant disruption.

“We have been in contact with all to inform them that their cases will now pass over to our business, and to reassure them that we have been working around the clock behind the scenes to successfully transfer their files.

“Our focus has been on getting everything in place in terms of the technology systems to ensure minimal disruption, and to ensure we have been able to hit the ground running at our new offices.”

Ridley & Hall have recruited six members of the Berwins Solicitors team to head up the new Harrogate office.

They include residential property specialists Michelle Crowhurst, Rachael Fell, Alice Hoyle and Jenny Spence, and family law experts Danielle Day and Rachael Lyon.

Solicitor Michelle Crowhurst will lead the Residential Property team, bringing in-depth knowledge of the Harrogate property market, having established a reputation for her personable approach and dedication to client care.

Solicitor Danielle Day is to lead the Family Law team, having experience of supporting clients based nationally and internationally in multi-million-pound divorce and separation cases.

She is ranked a Band 1 lawyer in the latest published Chambers and Partners legal guide, and referenced as being ‘rightly regarded as one of the best family law solicitors locally’ in the highly-respected Legal 500 publication.

Ms Pearmaine says it is an exciting new venture for Ridley & Hall, which is now in its 100th year, having been established in Huddersfield in 1927.

The firm expanded into South Yorkshire in 2021 when completing the acquisition of Newman & Bond in Barnsley, opened its Leeds office in 2018 and then acquired the Pontefract firm Bashforth Young in 2019.

It now employs a team of more than 120 staff across five offices, with key legal services including Adoption and Kinship Care, Immigration Services, Divorce and Separation, Wills, Probate and Trusts and Social Service and Care Proceedings.

“Harrogate has long been on our radar as a potential office base and so recent events have just accelerated that plan,” she said.

“We’ve invested significantly in recent times into new IT infrastructure, a case management system and management software to put us in a position for growth, with the aim of achieving a £7m turnover for our century year. This is another significant step forward for our business.”

Last month the firm secured two accolades at the 2026 Yorkshire Legal Awards, when it was named Small Law Firm of the Year and winner of the Best ESG Campaign and Pro Bono Initiative.