The City of London skyline, where classical stone and modern towers stand together

Pemberton Hale · City of London

A full-service firm with a boutique's attention.

For a century, boards, families and institutions have turned to us for counsel that is broad in reach and singular in care. One team. Every discipline. Answerable to you.

Request a consultation Our practice groups
1924Established in the City
08Practice groups
03Offices worldwide
01Standard of care

Who we are

A firm large enough to answer any question, and small enough to remember yours.

Pemberton Hale was founded on Austin Friars in 1924 and has grown, deliberately and without hurry, into a full-service practice serving clients across the United Kingdom, the Gulf and Asia. We advise on the transactions that define a business and the disputes that test it — and on the quieter matters of family, succession and reputation that rarely reach the newspapers.

What has not changed in a hundred years is our manner. Every instruction is led by a partner. Every client is known by name. We keep our teams small on purpose, so that the person who takes your call is the person who understands your matter.

Margaret Ellison
Managing Partner

What we do

Eight practice groups,
one point of contact.

Full service does not mean impersonal. Whatever the discipline, your matter is led by a partner who owns it from first call to final signature.

Speak to a partner
01 Corporate & M&A Acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures and equity capital markets for boards across Europe, the Gulf and Asia. 02 Banking & Finance Acquisition, real-estate and structured finance, on lender and borrower mandates for complex cross-border facilities. 03 Dispute Resolution High-value commercial litigation and international arbitration before the London courts and leading tribunals. 04 Real Estate & Infrastructure Investment, development and major infrastructure — from City towers to nationally significant schemes. 05 Employment & Reward Board-level advisory, executive exits, incentive design and workplace disputes for employers and senior individuals. 06 Private Client & Wealth Succession, trusts and cross-border estate planning for families, entrepreneurs and their family offices. 07 Regulatory & Compliance Financial-services regulation, internal investigations and sanctions advice for regulated institutions. 08 Intellectual Property & Technology Brand protection, technology contracts and data governance for businesses built on intangible assets.
Neoclassical stone columns of a historic building in the City of London

Our story

A century in the
City of London.

Arthur Pemberton and Reginald Hale hung their shingle on Austin Friars in the spring of 1924. A hundred years on, we still practise a few streets away — broader in reach, unchanged in principle.

  • 1924Founded on Austin Friars by Arthur Pemberton and Reginald Hale.
  • 1968Corporate practice established as the City's markets modernise.
  • 1997International desks opened for Gulf and Asian mandates.
  • 2011Dubai office opens in the Dubai International Financial Centre.
  • TodayEight practice groups, three offices, one standard of care.
1924
Established in the City
08
Full-service practice groups
03
Offices across three regions
40+
Jurisdictions advised
Solicitors in discussion around a table at a well-appointed City law office

How we work

The reach of a City firm.
The care of a small one.

i.

Partner-led, always

The partner you meet is the partner who does the work. No hand-off, no dilution — accountability from first call to completion.

ii.

One team across disciplines

Corporate, disputes, finance and private client sit in one building and one conversation. Your matter is never someone else's problem.

iii.

Counsel, not just advice

We tell you what we would do, plainly. A hundred years of judgement is worth more than a hundred pages of caveats.

Our counsel

The people who
take your call.

Senior lawyers with decades at the London bar and in the City's boardrooms — the same people who will steward your matter to its conclusion.

Margaret Ellison

Managing Partner

Corporate & M&A. 25 years advising boards on landmark transactions across UK and Gulf markets.

David Okoro

Senior Partner

Dispute Resolution. Two decades of commercial litigation and international arbitration before the London courts.

Priya Nair

Partner

Real Estate & Infrastructure. Leads major development and investment mandates for institutional clients.

Thomas Whitfield

Partner

Private Client & Wealth. Cross-border succession and trust structuring for families and their offices.

Where we are

Three offices,
one standard.

Rooted in the City of London, with desks in the financial centres our clients rely on. Wherever a matter takes you, the same team answers.

United Kingdom

London

Head Office

Pemberton Hale House
12 Austin Friars
London EC2N 2HE
Enquire in London

United Arab Emirates

Dubai

Gulf Practice

Level 14, Gate Village 10
Dubai International Financial Centre
Dubai
Enquire in Dubai

Singapore

Singapore

Asia Practice

8 Marina Boulevard
Marina Bay Financial Centre
Singapore 018981
Enquire in Singapore

Begin a conversation

Tell us the matter.
We will tell you how we can help.

Every engagement starts with a confidential, no-obligation consultation. Speak to a partner, not a switchboard.

Request a consultation Call the practice