After two months of placing its regional offices under consultation, Parabis Law has decided to close its Bristol and Colchester offices.
The decision will affect 41 employees in the legal and administrative support staff department, 23 of which sit in the Bristol office and 18 in Colchester. The firm confirmed that staff members are currently undergoing individual consultations to consider their options.
Parabis said in a statement: ‘Individual discussions are now underway and until these are completed we cannot confirm the final position regarding jobs or a date for the closures. We are grateful to all involved for their helpful participation in the consultation process.’
The cuts follow Parabis’ partnership with Direct Line Group which obtained authorisation from the Solicitors Regulation Authority to become an Alternative Business Structure (ABS) at the beginning of the year.
Legal Business reported that two of Parabis’ regional offices were under review in early August.
In addition, the firm is set to consolidate offices in various locations, including London, in a bid to use fewer sites as part of the firm’s long-term strategy for facilities, resources and cross-team working. This comes as a result of the series of Parabis mergers in recent years. Eventually, the firm aims to have its London, Croydon and Leeds offices as its core offices.
At present, Parabis has offices in Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Southampton, Milton Keynes, Evesham, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk
