Machray: Accelerate growth ambitions
A range of acquisitions completed yesterday, with private equity-backed group Lawfront adding a seventh law firm to its stable.
April has become a popular time for deals since law firms were able to move away from annual indemnity insurance renewal in October with 18-month cover.
Reading-based Field Seymour Parkes (FSP) is the seventh regional law firm to join Lawfront, which is backed by private equity house Blixt.
Its accounts for the year to 31 March 2025 recorded a profit of £3.7m on a £15m turnover. FSP has 85 fee-earners and achieved a 9% compound annual growth rate in recent years with a wide-ranging practice.
Managing partner Ian Machray said: “This partnership will accelerate our organic growth ambitions, enabling us to invest in new talent, leverage cutting-edge technologies, and take on increasingly complex, high-value work for our clients.
“Lawfront’s platform provides the infrastructure and support to secure our firm’s long-term success while preserving the client-focused culture that has defined us.”
Neil Lloyd, CEO of Lawfront, added: “Field Seymour Parkes is a great addition to Lawfront. They bring a strong market position in a new geography for us, helping fill out our national network of regional firms.
“Strong profitable growth, an ambitious management team and a great people culture, they have all the things we look for in our regional partner firms. We look forward to working with the team, investing in their people, IT and AI, to help them achieve their growth ambitions in the region.”
FSP joins Brachers, Farleys, Fisher Jones Greenwood, Nelsons, Slater Heelis and Trethowans in the Lawfront stable. They have been supported to make various bolt-on acquisitions [1] too.
National firm Weightmans has taken over five-partner City firm Elborne Mitchell, which primarily advised the insurance and shipping industries on a wide range of commercial matters, and Myton Law in Leeds, a niche shipping, rail and logistics practice with three directors, a solicitor and a trainee.
Weightmans managing partner Sarah Walton said: “Joining with Elborne Mitchell and Myton Law will contribute significantly to the depth and breadth of services we offer to clients across the globe.”
Elborne Mitchell senior partner Kate Payne added: “We are very proud of our achievements. Joining forces with Weightmans will mean we will be better placed to compete both nationally and internationally, offering a broader range of core and more specialised services.”
Myton Law director Chris Thornes said his firm had “much in common” with Weightmans and he was “confident of making even more of an impact nationally and internationally”.
Bournemouth-headquartered Steele Raymond has acquired Williams Thompson, giving it a first presence in nearby Christchurch and a fourth office.
Williams Thompson, which had three partners and 17 other staff, specialised in family, residential property and private client work.
Jennifer Rogerson, managing partner at Steele Raymond, which now has 136 people, said the deal “builds on the momentum created by our Reeves James acquisition last May”.
Together they offered “clearer joined-up support for clients across the issues that often sit alongside family, property and private client matters”, she said.
David Orr, head of private client at Williams Thompson, added: “Our clients value long-term relationships, trusted advice and local understanding. Joining Steele Raymond allows us to keep that local service and give clients deeper support across a wider range of legal needs.
“It also gives our people the platform to develop as part of a full-service firm with a strong reputation for quality.”
Lincolnshire and Yorkshire firm Wilkin Chapman Rollits – created by merger this time last year – has acquired Nottingham-based law firm Legal Recoveries and Collections (LRC) to boost its recoveries, litigation and insolvency offering.
Eight staff are moving over and creating a dedicated recoveries practice at the firm’s Lincoln office
Chris Grocock, senior partner and head of recoveries at Wilkin Chapman Rollits, said: “The acquisition of LRC strengthens our position as a leading provider of recoveries, litigation and insolvency services, and means we are better able to support our clients with complex and high-volume recovery requirements.”
The incoming team includes LRC directors Rachel Rowbotham and Claire Stocks, who join Wilkin Chapman Rollits as senior associates.
Fee-share law firm arch.law has acquired 12-strong Bridge Law Solicitors, which has offices in Cheshire, West Yorkshire and London.
Regulated by the Bar Standards Board, Bridge Law advised businesses and individuals across a broad range of legal matters. We previously reported [2] on its use of a third-party managed account to hold client money.
Andrew Leaitherland, chief executive of arch.law, said: “What attracted Claire and her team to arch.law reflects a wider shift we are seeing across the legal profession – experienced lawyers looking for a model that allows them to retain their independence while benefiting from the infrastructure, technology and connectivity needed to support clients operating across multiple jurisdictions.”
Claire Stewart, founder of Bridge Law, said joining arch.law allowed the team to benefit from “a broader network of professionals, modern technology and shared expertise”.