Wilkin Chapman Rollits: Robin Simmonds (l) and Ralph Gilbert
The private equity owned Fletchers Group made another acquisition yesterday, while a merger is set to create a 500-person firm operating in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire.
The latest M&A has seen Blume, the digital marketing company bought by the Fletchers Group in late 2022, buy lead generation business Claims.co.uk for an undisclosed sum.
The group is owned by Sun European Partners and two months ago Fletchers Solicitors bought North-West firm Scott Rees & Co, its fourth law firm acquisition in little over three years.
Blume chief executive Alex Kenny said the deal was “an ideal strategic fit” as it looked to maintain double-digit annual growth.
He explained: “While we generate the majority of our leads ourselves, we’ve been really impressed by the Claims.co.uk team, both with the quality of their leads, the return on spend for the collective, and their considerable marketing experience in the sector.”
Both companies will continue to operate as separate entities and brands. Claims.co.uk, based in Belfast, will continue to be a supplier to Blume as well as others.
Founder and managing director John Quail, who is remaining with the business, said: “We’ve supplied marketing collectives with high quality personal injury enquiries for over a decade and Blume’s contact centre performance, use of data, and passion for client care has been particularly impressive to us.
“It will allow us to grow the business alongside Blume’s own panel growth, while providing the added resources and benefits that come with being part of a larger group.”
Lincolnshire firm Wilkin Chapman and Yorkshire practice Rollits are to merge on 1 April to create a law firm with a combined turnover of £40m and more than 500 people, including 70 partners.
Trading as Wilkin Chapman Rollits, it will have a broad commercial, private client and public sector practice.
Wilkin Chapman, with offices in Grimsby, Lincoln, Louth and also Beverley in Yorkshire, is by far the larger of the two, with 55 partners and over 370 staff. In its last financial year, the firm recorded an £11m profit, before partner pay, on a £31m turnover.
Rollits has 18 partners and 67 members of staff across two offices in Hull and York.
Describing the move as “market and client driven”, Robin Simmonds, chief executive of Wilkin Chapman, said: “There is a great synergy between the two firms across culture, values and strategy and we believe the new firm will provide our clients with the responsive, personal tailored support that they expect.”
Ralph Gilbert, managing partner of Rollits, said: “Both of our firms have deep local connections and histories within our respective regions and are very proud of these links. Such links help us understand the needs of our clients and bring insights to them.”
Meanwhile, North-West firm Harrison Drury has been acquired by six members of its management team, led by partner and head of property and construction Simon England.
Mr England, who was an existing shareholder, is the new managing partner, with current majority shareholder and executive chairman John Chesworth becoming senior partner.
Since Mr Chesworth acquired the firm in 2007, Harrison Drury has grown from a firm employing 12 staff from one office in Preston to 190 staff across seven further offices in Clitheroe, Garstang, Kendal, Lancaster, Lytham, Manchester and Southport.
Mr England said: “Independence is at the heart of who we are. Retaining this ensures we can uphold our commitment to being a truly people-centred organisation. This enables our lawyers to enjoy the freedom of serving our clients – owner-managed businesses, entrepreneurs, and high-net-worth individuals – the way they know best.”
Another of the new owners, Mark Traynor, the head of corporate, added: “In an active legal marketplace with lots of consolidation, we wanted to bring through our own ownership team and find the new custodians of the firm who will protect and enhance its established values and mission, and lead from the front.”
Finally, in the North-East, Newcastle firm Ward Hadaway and Teesside-based The Endeavour Partnership have revealed they are in merger talks.
Steven Petrie managing partner of Ward Hadaway, which has 95 partners and 300 other lawyers, said: “By joining forces, we have the potential to expand both our wider legal offering within the North-East legal market and beyond and create a stronger, more diverse business to serve our clients even better.”
The Endeavour Partnership is far smaller, with 29 lawyers. Managing partner Lee Bramley said: “The possibility of combining our strengths represents an incredible opportunity. Together, we can achieve scale that will drive innovation and deliver even greater value to our people and our clients.”
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