Thompsons Solicitors has confirmed that Helen Shakespeare, Vincent Reynolds, and Nicola Saunders have joined the equity membership from 1 May 2025. The appointments reflect the depth and strength of experience across the firm’s personal injury teams. 

Helen Shakespeare, based in the firm’s Leeds office, leads the serious injury team for Yorkshire and Humberside. With over two decades of experience, she specialises in cases involving life-changing and catastrophic injuries, including brain and spinal injury, amputations, and serious burns.  Helen brings a wealth of experience in managing complex claims. Her leadership within the serious injury team has helped ensure clients and their families receive the support and outcomes they need to begin rebuilding their lives. She is highlighted as a top personal injury specialist in the Yorkshire region by legal directory Chambers & Partners, with one commentator noting: “Helen has real expertise and will go toe-to-toe with the other side.” 

Vincent Reynolds, based in London, is an experienced personal injury lawyer with a strong background in high-profile and complex cases. He supervises the firm’s disease, assault, asbestos and clinical negligence teams across London and the south east, and has led for the firm in major investigations including the Potters Bar rail crash and the Croydon tram derailment. Recently, Vincent led the representation of firefighters injured in the Grenfell Tower disaster achieving a £20 million settlement in the High Court. His career has been defined by a commitment to claimant work and a deep-rooted belief in trade union and social justice values. 

Nicola Saunders leads the firm’s London-based serious injury team.  She has been working in personal injury law since 2001, specialising in serious injury and medical negligence for more than a decade, and joined Thompsons in 2013. Her expertise spans adult and child brain injury, spinal injury, amputations and complex medical negligence, including cerebral palsy and birth injuries. Nicola is known for her client-focused approach, working collaboratively to secure early rehabilitation and practical support. She is recommended by legal directory Legal 500 for both personal injury and clinical negligence, with one commentator noting: “Nicola Saunders is extremely capable and hardworking. Knows exactly how to litigate complex and high value cases to a successful conclusion." 

In relation to the new appointments, Clare Mellor, chief executive at Thompsons Solicitors, said: 
“We are delighted to be adding to our equity membership with the promotion of these three exceptionally talented lawyers.  Each of them is a long-standing colleague with an absolute commitment to the values that built our firm and that still stand strong today.  We are looking forward to the future, continuing the fundamental work of the firm with trade unions to progress and protect workers’ rights and to strive for social justice across the country”. 

Thompsons has 18 offices across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with an associated firm in Scotland. It is the UK’s largest trade union law firm.  Founded in 1921, it has grown with the trade union and labour movement as a champion for social justice.  

Thompsons remains deeply embedded in the fight for workers’ rights across the country, particularly in specialist areas such as employment law for union members, asbestos-related disease claims, serious injury claims, and clinical negligence claims.