Mergers on the rise as firms prepare for the new year

Reading time: one minute

The legal industry is bearing witness to a string of mergers taking place this winter as law firms expand their strength and reach ahead of the new year.

Stowe Family Law LLP and fellow family specialist Crisp & Co are the latest firms to have joined forces, with Stowe acquiring all 17 of Crisp’s offices across Manchester and the South East. This merger is the third for the firm in two years, with the firm growing to nearly 80 offices and 160 lawyers.

It’s currently unclear whether Stowe intends to retain all of Crisp’s offices and staff, but the family law firm has stated the merger will mean the firm will add more than 10 locations in London and across the south of England.

Chairman of Stowe, Ken Fowlie, said the expansion will allow the firm to “support more families as they navigate the issues associated with a relationship breakdown”. The firm will now have additional staff and resources to support families with:

• divorce;
• child arrangements; and
• financial matters.

South east firm Cripps have also recently announced a merger. The firm will be absorbing PDT Solicitors, a commercial firm based in West Sussex.

The firms will join under the Cripps brand name, managing partner James Beatton says the merger will take the firm “another step closer” to its goal of becoming “the pre-eminent law firm in the south”.

The final merger to announce is York firm Hethertons Solicitors Ltd, who’s joined with neighbouring firm AJC Law. The pair will operate under the Hethertons name and will be led by founder of AJC Law, Anthony Corps.