Goldhill: looking to grow services
The expansion of consolidator Metamorph Law has continued after it took on the private client practice of a firm in Hampshire, its first venture in the south of England.
Bernard Chill & Axtell has exited the private client market, and 17 fee-earners and six support staff have set up new offices in Southampton, Lymington and Basingstoke trading under Metamorph’s Linder Myers brand.
Metamorph said the offices will offer a full private client service, including residential conveyancing, trusts and estates, and family. They also have an immigration and commercial litigation offering and, through Linder Myers’ north-west offices, can provide corporate, commercial, commercial property and other services.
Metamorph CEO Simon Goldhill said: “The staff we have recruited have an ethos and culture of providing excellent service to their local clients and community, fully in line with Metamorph Law’s vision. We aim to now build on this starting position and grow these private client services.”
Paul Grant, managing partner of Bernard Chill & Axtell, said the firm would issue a public statement “in due course”, but “until that time, we simply wish to welcome Metamorph Law to the wonderful county of Hampshire and wish them and their staff every success in their future.”
Metamorph, which is an alternative business structure, came to prominence last year with its acquisition of Linder Myers [1]. It has been created as a vehicle to “acquire, transform and aggregate existing high street law firms focused on private client and SME work”.
The model sees Metamorph acquire the assets and merge the business of firms – but not the previous business structure itself – within its own corporate structure.
Earlier this month, the company completed its second deal [2] by taking over niche property practice SLC Solicitors in Shrewsbury.