A TEAM at a Bolton firm of solicitors has been recognised as the best in the country at a prestigious awards ceremony.

The family law team at Stephensons, was handed the Family Team of the Year award at the 2016 Solicitors’ Journal Awards.

The firm has offices in the Middlebrook, Manchester, Wigan and Altrincham as well as London.

The 90-strong team, one of the largest in the country, was given the award in recognition of its’ expertise, particularly in complex and sensitive child protection work.

The judges recognised the exceptionally high level of case work carried out by the Manchester practice, as well as its dedication to clients.

The panel was also impressed by the firm’s commitment to supporting local communities and organisations, such as Barnardo’s, the Citizens Advice Bureau and Manchester Royal Infirmary.

The SJ Awards are coordinated and hosted by the Solicitors Journal, the world’s longest running weekly journal.

The awards ceremony took place at the Grand Connaught Rooms in London and were presented by the broadcast journalist Andrew Marr.

Reacting to the award, Stephensons’ head of family, Mike Devlin, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be awarded the Family Team of the Year award for 2016.

"To be recognised by the Solicitors’ Journal — an excellent and proudly independent publication — and by a group of our peers, is particularly pleasing.

"The award is a testament to the incredible hard work of all our family lawyers. We are very fortunate to have an unrivalled depth of specialisms across the Stephensons team and they are the secret to our success."