Beyond Law Group: Matt Fleetwood (l) and Daniel Silberstein
The annual rush of merger and acquisition activity around the October insurance renewal season has included a private equity-backed deal and a firm buying another more than twice its size.
Private equity-backed Beyond Law Group has acquired construction law boutique Hawkswell Kilvington, making it the fifth firm in the group.
Hawkswell will now operate from Manchester as well as its existing offices in Leeds and London. It 20-strong team increases the group’s headcount to over 130, with revenues expected to exceed £20m in this financial year.
Last year, Waterland Private Equity became a minority owner [1] of Beyond, which is headquartered in Manchester and also runs Beyond Corporate, McAlister Family Law, Home Property Law and Vault Private Client. The latter launched in April [2] to complete the group’s consumer law offering.
Hawkswell Kilvington’s existing management, Daniel Silberstein and Thomas Salter, together with James Flynn, head of Beyond Corporate’s construction team, will lead the practice and look to grow it both organically and through further acquisitions.
Mr Silberstein will also join the board of Beyond Law Group, which is led by founder and chief executive Matt Fleetwood.
Mr Fleetwood said: “This is a significant step for the group and part of our long-term strategy to build leading specialist legal practices under our group structure…
“Bringing together the Hawkswell Kilvington team and the Beyond Corporate construction team will give the group and the individual teams the momentum to further grow and build on an already established national presence. This move also puts the group’s roots in Yorkshire, which is part of our growth strategy.”
NBB Law, a Birmingham and London practice, has acquired six-office Midlands firm Waldrons – the former has a headcount of 39, the latter 105. They have a combined turnover of £8.5m.
NBB managing director Rob Bhol said: “While it is unusual for a smaller business to acquire a larger law firm, this acquisition isn’t about size, it’s about shared values. I’ve long believed that culture and client care are the true markers of success.
“Bringing together our firms allows us to preserve the personal approach our clients value while expanding the expertise and resources available to them. I firmly believe that is what I discovered when presented with the opportunity for NBB Law to acquire Waldrons.”
Derby-headquartered Flint Bishop has bought Yorkshire firm Lupton Fawcett, adding another office in Leeds, as well as new ones in Sheffield and York. Flint Bishop also has bases in Birmingham and Swansea.
Lupton Fawcett’s most recent published accounts, for the year to 31 March 2024, show a profit of £1.5m on a £10m turnover, down from £3m and £12m respectively in the previous year. It had 126 staff.
Flint Bishop said it had a record-breaking financial year in 2024/25, with revenue up 53% to £32m. The firm did not provide a profit figure but the published accounts show it was £5m on a £20m turnover in 2023/24.
Qamer Ghafoor, chief executive of Flint Bishop, said: “Our latest acquisition is a transformative step in our growth journey, enhancing our capabilities, broadening our geographic reach, and allowing us to deliver even greater value to our clients…
“[It] also creates significant opportunities for growth across Leeds, Sheffield, and York, where we will be actively recruiting to strengthen our presence in the north of England.
“With further strategic acquisitions in the pipeline and active discussions already underway, we remain firmly committed to strengthening our position as a leading, innovative, and client-focused national law firm.”
Hull-headquartered Pepperells has expanded its Yorkshire presence by buying Elmhirst Parker, taking on 53 staff and offices in Barnsley, Selby, Royston and Sherburn in Elmet. Elmhirst reported a turnover of £2.6m in 2024/25.
Established in Scunthorpe in 1985, and remaining under family ownership, Pepperells employs 180 staff, including 80 fee earners, in 12 other locations, including city offices in Newcastle and York alongside smaller practices in market towns such as Beverley.
Chief executive Ben Pepperell said: “As a traditional and multi-service practice, Elmhirst Parker perfectly aligns with our values and services, with a strong reputation built across Yorkshire and beyond.”
Lincolnshire-based Sills & Betteridge – which has been building its South Yorkshire presence since 2018 – has acquired 40-strong Sheffield law firm Bell & Buxton.
Sills & Betteridge already has 16 offices across Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and the East Midlands and over 400 partners and staff. Its accounts for the year to 31 May 2024 showed a £5m profit on a turnover just shy of £20m.
Chief financial officer, Martyn Hall, said: “Our firms share a common vision of excellence and client service and by combining our talents and resources, we will enhance our ability to deliver innovative and effective legal solutions in the city of Sheffield.
“Sills & Betteridge have ambitious growth ambitions, and this merger marks a major step forward in our regional expansion strategy.”
Still in Yorkshire, Huddersfield firm Bailey Smailes has bought local conveyancing and private client practice Oates Hanson, with partners John Oates and Patrick Hanson moving over as consultants.
The deal takes Bailey Smailes’ headcount to 30 as the firm continues to expand its footprint along the M62 corridor. It also has an office in Holmfirth and added a third base in Mirfield at the start of 2025.
Bailey Smailes was acquired by Helios Legal Services in 2023.
South-West law firm Coodes has acquired Boscastle-based conveyancing and private client firm Christopher Key Solicitors, adding a ninth office, two lawyers and a consultant. The eponymous Mr Key is stepping back from day-to-day practice.
Coodes chair Elise Alma said: “Christopher Key Solicitors has earned the trust and respect of discerning clients with residential and commercial property matters to resolve.
“The private client element of the practice also aligns with and complements our strategic focus as we look to extend our presence north and east in the years ahead.”
Coodes has more than 180 staff and a turnover exceeding £11m.
Finally, a team of seven venture capital lawyers who left London firm Withers with the intention of setting up their own firm have instead launched the London office of German tech law firm YPOG, which stands for You + Partners of Gamechangers.
James Shaw, a new partner at YPOG in London, said: “The legal sector is at a huge inflexion point, globally. Emerging technology solutions are challenging law as a service and proving to be a real force to reckon with. If law firms do not evolve, they will lose talent, lose clients and struggle to survive.
“This is why we felt it was the right time to seize the opportunity and build something new – a firm that combines market-leading expertise with tech solutions from Europe to tackle head-on the dominance of the US tech giants.”