Worby: Benefits of partnership with Lawfront
Two of the law firms owned by Lawfront, the largest buy-and-build group backed by private equity, have made their own acquisitions.
Kent firm Brachers has bought Gill Turner Tucker, which had four partners and 33 other staff in offices in Maidstone and Dover, while in the East Midlands Nelsons has absorbed Derby conveyancing firm Simpson Jones, adding one partner and six other fee-earners.
Brachers joined Lawfront in February last year and the group’s newly published accounts for the year to 31 March 2025 show that it paid £26.5m for the firm, whose turnover is around £20m.
Jo Worby, managing partner of Brachers, said the deal “strengthens our ability to support businesses and individuals across Kent”.
She went on: “It also demonstrates the benefits of our partnership with Lawfront, which has enabled us to invest in growth for the benefit of our clients.”
Robert Green, partner at Gill Turner Tucker, which offered a range of private client and business services, added: “Joining Brachers… allows us to maintain our local roots while benefiting from the resources and expertise of a larger firm and the wider Lawfront group.”
Lawfront chief executive Neil Lloyd – who is speaking at our Law Firm Growth Summit in March – said: “Supporting our firms to achieve their growth ambitions is at the heart of Lawfront’s strategy. Brachers’ first acquisition of Gill Turner Tucker is a significant milestone and demonstrates how investment and collaboration can create exciting opportunities for clients and teams alike.”
Stewart Vandermark, chief executive at Nelsons, said: “Simpson Jones is a well-established name in the Derby conveyancing market, it was clear from the start there was alignment of culture and values between our firms and that together we would be stronger.
Joanna Jones, the founder of Simpson Jones, said: “I am incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved during this time, but it felt like the right time to look at the future.”
This is Nelsons’ fourth tuck-in. Its third, Burton-upon-Trent firm Else Solicitors last February, cost £1.3m, the Lawfront accounts show.
They reveal too that the group spent £18.5m to acquire Manchester-headquartered Slater Heelis in May 2024 and an initial £34.2m for Southern England firm Trethowans last May, its sixth and biggest deal to date.
North-West firm Farleys and Essex practice Fisher Jones Greenwood are the other main firms in the group and Lawfront, which is owned by private equity house Blixt, spent £3.3m on Farleys’ acquisition of Wigan firm Alker Ball Healds in April.
Lawfront’s turnover for the year was just under £75m, although this included only a little of Brachers’ contribution and nothing from Trethowans.
In other M&A news, Hull-headquartered Pepperells has announced its second deal in quick succession, adding four-person County Durham-based Michael Cook Law Firm following Yorkshire practice Elmhirst Parker in October.
Vicky Kulleseid, chief operating officer at 180-person Pepperells, said: “This acquisition reflects our commitment to building a truly national legal platform supported by strong local expertise and exceptional client service.”
In Coventry, Askews Legal has acquired small criminal defence practice Wallace McNally, its fourth deal in 12 months.
The firm doubled in size to 120 employees last year and expanded into new locations after acquiring Cocks Lloyd Solicitors in Nuneaton, Smalleys Solicitors in Nottingham, and John Mohamed & Co in Bedworth, all from retiring partners. Askews has made clear it is on the look-out for more like this.
Wallace McNally had two partners and one of them, Mohammad Farooq, is moving across. He said: “For me, the decision came down to securing my clients’ future and continuing to give them an excellent all-round service in criminal defence, while at the same time being able to step back from the ever-increasing burden of regulation and administration.”
Stowe Family Law, which is owned by Investcorp, a global alternative investment firm, has entered Scotland after announcing a partnership with Kee Solicitors, which has offices in Glasgow and Aberdeen.
Finally, two big transatlantic deals were announced last month, with Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader describing theirs as the largest law firm combination in history. It will create the world’s fifth largest firm by revenue, with annual revenue in excess of $3.6bn, with 3,100 lawyers and more than 900 partners across 38 offices in 18 countries.
Miguel A Zaldivar Jr, chief executive of Hogan Lovells, said: “Clients are increasingly looking for law firms with deep sector expertise and broad global reach to advise on their most complex mandates around the world.
“Cadwalader, a premier Wall Street institution, brings top of the market finance capabilities, which combined with Hogan Lovells’ powerful global platform, expands our abilities to comprehensively advise clients at a time when cross-border investment is increasingly driving growth in key sectors—including finance, energy, technology, life sciences, and others.”
City firm Taylor Wessing and US firm Winston & Strawn will combine as Winston Taylor, with more than 1,400 lawyers and 20 offices around the world.
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