This year we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Reeds. In commemoration of this, we are reflecting on our journey, our values, and our commitment to providing award-winning services. Now a multi-disciplinary law firm spanning across England and Wales, Reeds continues to grow as a firm that prioritises quality legal representation and client advocacy.
Founded in 1999 by Lee Reed, the firm started with a powerful vision: to provide top-tier legal services tailored to needs of each client that are delivered with integrity, drive, and passion.
From our origins as a small family-run business, our team has grown far beyond what we ever thought was possible. This is in no small way because no matter our size, we have managed to retain the fundamental ethos and character of a small business. We have been very lucky to grow and mature as a business without significant issues, and this is entirely because of the quality and dedication of the people we work with.
Our Journey
Reeds began with Lee Reed as a sole criminal law practitioner entering a market that wasn’t particularly welcoming to new entrants, and certainly not one run by a woman. Lee’s work ethic and dedication to her clients meant that she worked all hours, every day of the year, leading to several Christmases for her family where they couldn’t hand out the presents because she wouldn’t get off the phone with the police station.
Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Lee was soon joined by her eldest son, Stuart Matthews, who came on board as a trainee and they set about creating a loyal client base in Oxford. Stuart quickly demonstrated the same work ethic and dedication as Lee and as a result Reeds started to become a dominant force in the Oxford area.
In 2006 Lee’s other son, Jan Matthews, joined the firm as a trainee. Very soon after, Julian Richards joined the team, bringing a significant following with him, and Reeds quickly became the largest provider in their area. In 2010, Jan took over from Lee as the Managing Partner of the firm and immediately began to grow the business alongside his wife, Judy Matthews, as Practice Manager. Working as a team, Jan brought the new people and firms into the business, while Judy made sure that the end result ran smoothly as a single entity.
Over the next 10 years Stephen Clifford and Nicola Hutchinson joined Reeds, together developing our teams in the South West, and Jon Wilkins joined to set up our Welsh team.
Whilst the core of the company over the years has been as a leading Criminal Defence firm, Reeds has developed and expanded into various areas of law, always with someone who believed in the fundamental ethos of the business; James Ferry in Family Law, Sarah Griffiths-Jones in Mental Health and Court of Protection and Nicola Maynard in Prison Law.
Reeds’ journey has been marked by significant achievements. In the Legal 500 we have been named a Top-Tier Legal Firm for many years running, along with numerous departments and people being recognised for their talent and contribution, and we are now in our third year on The Times Best Law firm list.
What We Stand For
When Lee Reed started Reeds, she knew from the start which values she prioritised and how she wanted to conduct the business. She was successful in maintaining these and 25 years later these values are the cornerstone of Reeds.
We uphold ten essential principles to deliver the best care and services possible, both inside the firm and out.
- Teamwork – Across the firm, we prioritise teamwork for the betterment of both staff and clients. The Legal 500 recognises that ‘there is no weak link across the firm at any level’ (Legal 500, 2025) which has remained important to us, and is enhanced through our extensive in-house training.
- Training – All of our staff receive comprehensive and up-to-date training on the current best practices so that we can keep delivering exceptional results. We ‘use technology to the full and are bang up to date’ according to the Legal 500 2025.
- Specialists – For 25 years, we have ensured that our clients are given the best possible representation. Each solicitor, advocate, and paralegal have specialist knowledge in every area. As a result, Reeds is ‘synonymous with quality’ (Legal 500 2025).
- Size – We may have started off as a one-person team, but now each member of staff has access to the experience and expertise of a multi-office law firm. The size of our firm allows us to provide expert advice on a variety of areas and ‘always present a formidable force’ (Legal 500 2025).
- Standards – The highest possible standards are essential to our firm, and they have been since day one. As we continue to grow, we will maintain our high standards. We pride ourselves on our ‘excellent service to clients’ (Legal 500 2025).
- Employee Care – Reeds started as a family-run business, and even as multiple people have come and left, we still maintain that sense of family. Focussing on the development and well-being of our team allows them to perform their best. All of our teams are ‘deeply passionate’ (Legal 500 2025) about the work they provide, and that drive starts with employee care.
- Service – We have set ourselves apart with our quality service. This is a core value that has and will remain a fundamental part of Reeds. The Legal 500 (2025) has recognised us as ‘a first-rate firm, delivering the very highest quality of advice and representation’.
- Consistency – For every client and every case, the same levels of care and dedication are provided. No matter is too small. No question too ridiculous. In this year’s Legal 500 we were recognised as ‘at the vanguard of representation and innovation, adapting to the needs of all clients irrespective of allegation’.
- Humility – As we look toward the next 25 years of Reeds, we remain open on what we can do to improve. Perfection may not exist, but we strive to get as close to it as possible. We will continue to maintain are core values and ensure that ‘the team is dedicated to ensuring the clients are looked after and regularly communicate with counsel’ (Legal 500 2025)
- Results – Our track record of obtaining the best possible results for clients will only continue. Our values encourage us to develop professionally and personally. This year, the Legal 500 noted that, ‘the team are very experienced – something which enables them to identify pitfalls others might not spot.’
The Future of Reeds
As far as we have come, we have lots of potential to grow. This year, we saw many changes and improvements to Reeds; we have developed a clear and open progression structure within the firm, offer market-leading flexibility, provide substantial employee care support (for example private healthcare and an in-house mental health professional).
We are continually developing the Reeds brand, and this year have launched a brand-new website designed to be more easily navigated and communicate our ethos as clearly as possible. We continue to expect our staff to embody the ethos that has been central to our success, and through our Service Pledge we let our clients know the standard that they should expect from us. We expect to be held to these standards at every point.
Our values will remain integral to everything that we do. It’s clear that Reeds has come a phenomenally long way since 1999, and it’s exciting to see where we’ll be in 2049.