The specialist Bury-based law firm has once again been recognised by two of the legal profession’s leading independent directories for 2027, with praise for its expertise, personal service and the people who support its clients.
Aston Knight Solicitors is delighted to announce that the firm has once again been recognised by both The Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners UK 2027, reaffirming its reputation for specialist personal injury and clinical negligence work.
The continued recognition reflects the firm’s commitment to achieving the best possible outcomes for clients, including those with complex, high-value and challenging claims. It also highlights what has always been central to Aston Knight’s approach: combining technical legal expertise with a genuinely personal service.
Based in Bury, Greater Manchester, Aston Knight acts for clients throughout England and Wales. As a specialist firm, it takes a focused approach to its work, with experienced solicitors personally managing cases and building relationships with clients throughout their legal journey.
The Legal 500 has highlighted the breadth of Aston Knight’s personal injury work, including road traffic accidents resulting in fractures and traumatic brain injuries, as well as cases involving psychological and long-term injuries.
The directory recognises James Winterbottom as practice head, noting his experience in handling a variety of claims, often involving significant values. It also identifies Qurrat-ul-ain Rana(Annie Rana) as a key practitioner, describing her as compassionate.
Client feedback is a particularly important part of the research undertaken by independent legal directories, and the comments received by Aston Knight reflect the value clients place on both legal expertise and personal attention.
One client described James as a solicitor who “goes above and beyond”, while another praised the firm’s ability to dedicate time to clients with expertise and understanding.
The Legal 500 also described James as excelling in his field at “a boutique firm punching above its weight”.
Reflecting on the recognition and his journey with Aston Knight since joining the firm in 2014, James Winterbottom, Senior Solicitor said:
“I joined Aston Knight Solicitors in 2014, and looking back over the past 12 years, I can genuinely say that becoming part of this firm has been one of the most important and rewarding decisions of my professional life.
Like most solicitors, I entered the profession wanting to make a real difference to people’s lives, to develop my expertise and to take pride in the work I do. What I have found at Aston Knight is an environment where those ambitions are not only encouraged but are central to everything we do.
One of the most rewarding aspects of my work is being able to help clients who have been through incredibly difficult circumstances, particularly those who have previously been told that their claims cannot succeed. There is an enormous sense of professional and personal satisfaction in taking on a challenging case, finding a way forward and ultimately achieving an outcome that can make a genuine difference to someone’s life.
To see the firm recognised again by Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500 for 2027 is particularly special because it validates everything we, as a firm, have worked towards together. We have always believed in the quality of the work we do and the service we provide, but having that recognised independently, and seeing the exceptional feedback from our clients, gives us an enormous sense of pride.
For me, Aston Knight is much more than simply a place of work. It is somewhere I have grown professionally and where I have been able to build a career doing work I genuinely believe in, alongside colleagues I respect enormously.
I am proud of what we have achieved, grateful for the opportunities I have been given, and excited about what we can continue to accomplish together.”
James Winterbottom, Senior Solicitor, Aston Knight Solicitors
Aston Knight is especially pleased to see clients’ positive comments extend to its support team. While legal directory feedback often focuses on individual lawyers and practice areas, the experiences of clients are shaped by everyone involved in supporting them throughout their cases.
Samiah Khan and Molly Byrne received the following feedback from clients:
“Samiah Khan and Molly Byrne – excellent support team. Valued their help and responsiveness.”
Samiah was also singled out for particularly warm praise:
“She has been an absolute superstar. Compassionate with a real sense of care, great communicator, highly motivated and organized, just an absolute pleasure to liaise with.”
These comments are a testament to the importance of communication, organisation and compassion when supporting people who may be dealing with serious injuries, difficult experiences or uncertainty about the future.
At Aston Knight, we believe that providing a high standard of service means more than progressing a claim. It means keeping clients informed, listening to their concerns and making sure they feel supported throughout the process.
Aston Knight has also retained its recognition in Chambers & Partners, with the firm ranked in its Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence categories.
The directory’s research recognises firms and individuals through independent assessment and feedback from clients and other legal professionals. Its commentary on Aston Knight highlights the firm’s work across a range of clinical negligence claims, including GP negligence and delayed diagnosis.
Client feedback featured by Chambers & Partners reflects the importance of the relationships the firm builds with those it represents. One client commented:
“They build effective relationships with their clients to make them feel heard, respected and acknowledged.”
Another described the firm as exceptional to deal with in all aspects.
James Winterbottom continues to receive individual recognition for his work, reflecting his experience in personal injury and clinical negligence litigation and his approach to handling complex cases.
We are grateful to everyone who has taken the time to provide feedback during the directories’ research process. Their comments help highlight not only the quality of our legal work but also the service and support that underpin it.
At Aston Knight, we have never sought to be the biggest firm or to offer every area of legal practice. Our focus is on personal injury and clinical negligence, where we can use our experience, specialist knowledge and determination to help clients achieve the best possible results.
A significant part of our work involves cases that have proved difficult to progress, including claims that have previously been rejected, declined or closed by other firms. We understand that being told a claim cannot succeed can be deeply disappointing, particularly for people already coping with the consequences of an injury or negligent treatment.
Our specialist approach means we are prepared to look carefully at the evidence, consider alternative arguments and explore whether there is another way forward where a case has previously encountered difficulties.
This is The Aston Knight Difference: specialist expertise, personal attention and a determination to succeed where others have failed.
Commenting on the firm’s recognition for 2027, Ayoub Khan, Managing Director of Aston Knight Solicitors, said:
“When we established Aston Knight Solicitors, we had a very clear vision of the type of firm we wanted to become. We were never interested in being the biggest firm, having the most offices or offering the widest range of legal services. Our ambition was much simpler, but in many ways more challenging: to be the very best at what we do.
We wanted to create a specialist firm where technical excellence, determination and genuine care for clients would come before everything else. A firm where experienced solicitors could dedicate the time and attention that complex cases deserve, where we would not shy away from difficult challenges, and where we could achieve results that others may have considered impossible.
Looking back at where we started, how far we have come and the reputation we have built, it is immensely satisfying to see that original vision recognised once again by both Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500 for 2027.
What makes this recognition particularly special is that it is not simply about legal expertise or successful outcomes. The feedback from our clients recognises the values on which Aston Knight was built: compassion, professionalism, accessibility and a genuine commitment to the people we represent.
I am especially proud to see members of our support team receiving such exceptional praise. It demonstrates that our ethos runs throughout the firm and is shared by everyone who works here.
We have always believed that a small, specialist firm with the right people, the right values and the right approach can compete with, and outperform, much larger organisations. To now receive independent recognition amongst the best in our profession is enormously rewarding, but it also reinforces our determination to keep improving.
Our ambition remains exactly what it was when we started: to be the best in our field, to provide an exceptional service and to succeed for our clients, particularly where others have failed.”
Ayoub Khan, Managing Director, Aston Knight Solicitors
Being recognised again by both Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500 is an achievement of which we are proud. However, the feedback that means the most to us is that our clients feel listened to, understood and properly supported.
We would like to thank all our clients who have shared their experiences, as well as our colleagues and professional contacts who have contributed to the directories’ research.
We are also proud of the entire Aston Knight team. These results reflect the combined efforts of our solicitors and support staff, whose commitment helps us maintain the standards of expertise, communication and personal service our clients deserve.
Aston Knight Solicitors specialises in personal injury and clinical negligence claims, representing clients throughout England and Wales from its base in Bury, Greater Manchester.
If another firm has rejected your claim or you have been advised that your case cannot succeed, we may be able to help. Contact our team to discuss your circumstances.
