Two solicitors from MD Law have been shortlisted for prestigious honours at the Sheffield Law Society Awards 2026.
Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution Kelly Wharin, has been selected as a finalist in the Partner of the Year category with Company and Commercial solicitor Luke Turner shortlisted in the Rising Star category.
The awards, organised by the Sheffield and District Law Society, celebrate the region’s exceptional legal talent, with winners unveiled at the Yorkshire Law Banquet & Awards 2026 on Friday February 27 at The Royal Victoria Crown Plaza in Sheffield.
Kelly joined the newly established MD Law in 2018 to help develop the firm’s Dispute Resolution offering, and became a Partner in May 2021. She specialises in contractual disputes, shareholder and partnership claims, debt recovery, and other areas including professional negligence and defamation.
Her impressive track record of working with both companies and individuals on a wide range of disputes and litigation means she is regularly instructed by clients in high-value and complex litigation matters. Much of her most impactful legal work goes unrecognised due to the confidential nature of her practice.
Kelly’s impact through her outstanding legal expertise, unwavering commitment to clients, inspirational leadership, and an extraordinary contribution to her firm and colleagues, is felt across every aspect of the business. Clients value her honesty, clarity and confidence in taking the lead, even on the most complex and challenging litigation.
Alongside her fee-earning responsibilities, Kelly is a cornerstone of the firm’s partnership. She leads on HR, office management, recruitment and trainee development, and is the firm’s Training Principal.
Luke joined the firm as a trainee and qualified into the Corporate and Commercial team in April 2024, quickly establishing himself by demonstrating exceptional technical ability, commercial awareness and maturity well beyond his experience. He has made significant contributions to a number of interesting, complex and high-value corporate matters, acting as a key advisor on multiple multi-million-pound transactions and supporting transactions typically be handled by far more senior lawyers.
His extraordinary dedication to his clients is backed by a commitment to achieving the best possible outcomes and routinely goes above and beyond what is expected. His responsiveness, reliability and willingness to put clients first consistently sets him apart, and his efforts have directly contributed to clients choosing to return to the firm time and again.
We will be keeping our fingers crossed on the night!
