Spear’s Review

Few lawyers are entrusted with safeguarding reputations of the calibre handled by Mishcon de Reya’s Emma Woollcott, and fewer still carry that responsibility with such composure. When Spear’s meets her shortly after she collects the 2025 Spear’s Award for Reputation Lawyer of the Year, she is characteristically gracious. For Woollcott, it is less about the accolade itself and more about the work required to earn the trust of the clients she represents.

One of the most notable mandates in her career came when the Prince and Princess of Wales sought new legal advisers. ‘They went out to market and conducted one of the most challenging tender processes I’ve ever been through,’ Woollcott recalls. ‘As it progressed, I felt increasingly empowered because they kept coming back with questions we knew the answer to.’ Mishcon ultimately secured the appointment, ending Harbottle & Lewis’s long-standing tenure as the royals’ go-to firm.

The engagement stands as a defining moment, but it is only one example of the high-profile, complex instructions that define Woollcott’s practice.

‘It’s a privilege to lead the reputation team at Mishcon,’ she explains. ‘We’re a full-service firm operating across so many industries and markets. I’ve got real firepower, and I can bring in clever people. That really does lend itself to a crisis disputes practice.’

Despite her high-stakes caseload, Woollcott’s approach remains grounded. ‘I want clients to know there is no judgement. We have broad minds and broader shoulders. We will carry them through the storm,’ she says. ‘Humans are delightfully flawed – and that is why we are needed.’