Haden: Not moving into new areas of law for now
Private equity-backed Fletchers Group has announced its third acquisition in less than a month by taking on the clinical negligence and Court of Protection teams of Midlands firm Freeths.
There has also been other private equity-backed activity in both England and Europe.
Once finalised next month, Fletchers will add new offices in Derby, Nottingham and Oxford as part of the Freeths deal, with 21 people in each of the two teams.
The clinical negligence team and some 530 active cases are moving to Fletchers, and the Court of Protection team will become part of EMG, the specialist firm Fletchers bought just last month.
Fletchers’ clinical negligence business now comprises more than 400 people managing over 10,300 cases.
Karl Jansen, national managing partner at Freeths, told Legal Futures that these two areas were small parts of the firm’s private client practice, which was mainly focused on high-net-worth individuals.
“For us it was a recognition that there’s been a lot of consolidation around clinical negligence and increasingly around Court of Protection work as well. I think that’s because it requires particular focus, scale and sustained investment to grow profitably,” he explained.
“That wasn’t something we were really focused on and therefore the Fletchers platform is much more appropriate for the colleagues and clients in those areas of our practice.”
Fletchers made the first move. Group chief executive Peter Haden said it was now able to support clients “across their full journey – from serious injury and clinical negligence cases through to lifelong Court of Protection and private client services”.
EMG’s practice was about 50% Court of Protection and the rest other private client services, but the former will increase significantly with the addition of Fletchers’ small existing team, the Freeths team and the other acquisition from last month, Kent-based JE Bennett. Together, the EMG business will have more than 300 staff.
The deals follow Fletchers first move outside of injury work last November by acquiring leading family law firm Rayden Solicitors. Last July, it bought the 80-strong serious injury practice of national firm Shoosmiths.
We reported in February that Sun Capital, Fletchers’ private equity backer since 2021, had committed to another four or five years, and that decision unlocked the recent series of deals.
Mr Hayden said the focus now was on building the three platforms – serious injury, family and Court of Protection – including through more acquisitions, and he did not anticipate moving into other areas of law “in the next two or three years”.
Last month, Manchester firm Express Solicitors bought Cheshire-based personal injury and clinical negligence firm Aegis Legal and has now acquired Sorrymate, a legal brand for injured motorcyclists, from St Helens firm Smooth Law.
Nine members of staff – including directors Paul McKittrick, Mark Flynn and Louise Burns-Lunt – plus ongoing cases, are moving over to Express’s Liverpool office.
Express chief executive James Maxey said: “Sorrymate has become a respected and recognisable name among bikers and we are proud to bring it into the Express Solicitors family.
“We are committed to preserving the brand’s identity while strengthening the legal support available to riders across the UK.”
Express sold a majority stake to Ufenau Capital Partners last November, and Mr Maxey said: “We’re working on [other deals] – our strategy is very firmly focused on acquisition-based expansion.”
Elsewhere, AGRD Partners, a private equity-backed group of eight Swedish law firms, has added leading Icelandic corporate law firm BBA//Fjeldco – which also has a London office – to its ranks.
We reported in March that AGRD was looking to expand across the Nordic region and had also had interest from UK practices.
Maria-Pia Hope, group CEO of AGRD, said: “BBA//Fjeldco is a highly regarded, well-run and entrepreneurial firm with a strong position in the top segment of the Icelandic market…
“Iceland is an important market within the Nordic region, with a healthy economic outlook and growing legal sector, making this a strategic investment for AGRD Partners.
“We are seeing increasing interest in our model across multiple markets, reflecting broader changes in the legal sector, and clear opportunities to scale in the Nordics and beyond.”
Halldór Karl Halldórsson, managing partner at BBA//Fjeldco, said: “BBA//Fjeldco has always focused on building a high-quality, internationally oriented practice. Joining AGRD Partners allows us to take that further, giving us access to critical resources – especially leading-edge technology and AI – while allowing us to maintain our identity.
“Our decision to join AGRD Partners was in part driven by its ambition to be at the forefront of legal tech and AI innovation.”
As with other members of the group, BBA//Fjeldco will continue to operate with its own name and brand, while its lawyers have resigned from their bar association
Swedish and Icelandic law firms are prohibited from accepting external capital and so the lawyers at each firm who were members of the bar association – which regulates individuals, not firms –have had to resign their membership.
Finally, in a more traditional deal, Cardiff-headquartered national firm Hugh James has expanded its London presence by acquiring Howat Avraam, strengthening its corporate, employment and disputes capability with partners Matthew Howat and Russell Osman and four other staff.
Alun Jones, managing partner at Hugh James, said: “This is an exciting step for the firm as we continue to invest in our London offering. Howat Avraam is a highly regarded team with strong technical expertise and a commercial mindset that fits naturally with how we work.
“Their arrival strengthens our disputes and corporate capabilities and supports our ambition to grow our presence in the capital.”
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