A LAW firm with offices in Milton Keynes and Northampton is set to complete a merger with a leading firm based across southern England and in Wales.
Harrison Clark Rickerbys is in the advanced stages of merger talks with Hewitsons, a move which will add new locations in Northampton and Milton Keynes to its existing network of nine offices.
The merger is expected to complete by the end of May, resulting in a firm of around 780 staff and £65 million turnover. The combined Cambridge teams will move into new premises, while Hewitsons staff in London will move into HCR’s office in the heart of the City.
Harrison Clark Rickerbys has more than 550 staff and partners based at offices in Cambridge, Birmingham, London, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Hereford, Thames Valley, Worcester and the Wye Valley.
It offers legal services to both business and private clients regionally and nationwide and has highly successful teams specialising in individual market sectors, including health and social care, education, technology, agricultural and rural affairs, finance and financial services, defence, security and the forces, and construction.
Hewitsons partner Dominic Hopkins said: “This merger is a really exciting development for us. Our clients are at the heart of everything we do. We do this with our outstanding people providing an outstanding service. We are known for it. It is why clients come to us.
“But we are always about finding ways to get better in every dimension of what we do and this merger is about that.”
HCR partner Charlotte Thornton-Smith will head the Northampton office with Mr Hopkins. She said: “The addition of Northampton to our regional network is one of the most exciting parts of this merger for me. It is a thriving county with a strong heritage and has seen recent development and investment.
“I am looking forward to working with the team as we expand the breadth and depth of the legal advice we can offer to clients together.”
Mr Hopkins said: “We have found a partner firm that shares that absolute focus on the client and providing opportunities for their team, and joining with them is going to ensure our clients benefit from the even wider range of legal specialisms that their strong regional network can provide and that our people will have enhanced opportunities.
“This is about becoming an even better version of ourselves.”
