Sealed at last – Wragges secures major City merger as vote backs LG tie-up to forge £171m practice

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After years of rejecting the need for a City presence – and subsequent years hunting for a major London deal – Midlands giant Wragge & Co has finalised its tie-up with Lawrence Graham.

The proposed deal, which was confirmed last month, was backed in a partner vote earlier this week, with the combined firm set to unify as Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co from 1 May 2014.

With a majority of more than 75% required from both partnerships, the combination will create a £171m business with 1,300 staff, including 770 lawyers, operating from ten offices worldwide. Continue reading “Sealed at last – Wragges secures major City merger as vote backs LG tie-up to forge £171m practice”

Comment: ‘Mishcon’ no more but a City player at last? Wragges needs a big deal and the old magic

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‘Wragge & Co was the Mishcon of its day.’ That statement from a former veteran of the Midlands giant sums it up in many ways.

In the late 1990s Wragges wasn’t just the best law firm the English regions had bred, it was a firm that broke the rules. The mix of flair, quality lawyering and an ability to astutely break away from the herd had few if any direct comparisons at the time. Wragges had a recognition and respect in the City absent from most national and regional competitors. More than that, Wragges stood out from rivals and could quicken the professional pulse in a way that Mishcon de Reya does today. Continue reading “Comment: ‘Mishcon’ no more but a City player at last? Wragges needs a big deal and the old magic”

If the shoe just about fits – Wragges in merger talks with Lawrence Graham

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Proposed merger promises Birmingham firm significant City presence.

The announcement last month that Wragge & Co and Lawrence Graham (LG) are in merger talks makes a lot of sense on many levels, although competitors have inevitably been quick to point out obvious pitfalls.

Both firms have been hunting for suitors for a long time and for Wragges, the talks could provide the serious London foothold that has so long eluded it, despite a series of high-profile Birmingham transfers and London hires.

Continue reading “If the shoe just about fits – Wragges in merger talks with Lawrence Graham”

Ashurst faces senior departures after key merger goes live

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It’s not been the ideal launch after the final phase of its high-stakes global merger. Within days of the union between Ashurst and its Australian ally going live on 1 November, the combined firm has seen a run of senior departures and barely concealed dismay in some quarters at the surprise leadership defeat of Charlie Geffen.

Global head of corporate Stephen Lloyd resigned at the start of November, within weeks of Ashurst voting with an overwhelming 97% majority in favour of full financial integration with Australian big six firm Blake Dawson, and shortly after litigator Ben Tidswell won the vote for the firm’s new chairman role.

Continue reading “Ashurst faces senior departures after key merger goes live”

‘Mishcon’ no more but a City player at last? Wragges needs a big deal and the old magic

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‘Wragge & Co was the Mishcon of its day.’ That statement from a former veteran of the Midlands giant sums it up in many ways.

In the late 1990s Wragges wasn’t just the best law firm the English regions had bred, it was a firm that broke the rules. The mix of flair, quality lawyering and an ability to astutely break away from the herd had few if any direct comparisons at the time. Wragges had a recognition and respect in the City absent from most national and regional competitors. More than that, Wragges stood out from rivals and could quicken the professional pulse in a way that Mishcon de Reya does today.

That’s not to say that the intervening years have been a disaster. The 119-partner firm remains a perfectly respectable performer. But along the way too many strategic shuffles and an uncertain crack at the City has stolen Wragges’ mystique. The firm also arguably allowed its practice to become too diffuse and lacked clarity over which section of the market it was focusing on, to the detriment of its corporate practice. Wragges’ famed morale is now, well, just like the rest.

Continue reading “‘Mishcon’ no more but a City player at last? Wragges needs a big deal and the old magic”

Latin America: DAC merges with Colombian alliance partner De la Torre & Monroy

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DAC Beachcroft has expanded its Latin American presence via a merger with Colombian alliance partner De la Torre & Monroy Abogados Asociados, which began trading as DAC Beachcroft Colombia yesterday (1 December).

The 1000-lawyer top 25 UK firm, which formally allied with the six-lawyer Bogata insurance firm in March this year ahead of the liberalisation of the Colombian insurance market, agreed the tie-up after partners voted in favour on 22 November. Continue reading “Latin America: DAC merges with Colombian alliance partner De la Torre & Monroy”

Southern comfort: Blake Lapthorn, Boyes Turner and Morgan Cole in three-way merger talks

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It would create a south-east giant with combined revenues approaching £100m but any potential tie-up between Blake Lapthorn, Boyes Turner and Morgan Cole could require some considerable rationalisation.

The firms are currently in the very early stages in merger talks, potentially creating a firm with offices across the Midlands, south of England and Wales, employing over 450 lawyers.

A statement from Blake Lapthorn managing partner Walter Cha said: ‘A merger is one of the many options we have been exploring and Morgan Cole and Boyes Turner – both excellent firms – have been among those we have talked to.  Discussions have not progressed beyond first stages at this juncture and it is too early to say whether talks will continue with either of the firms or indeed others.’

Continue reading “Southern comfort: Blake Lapthorn, Boyes Turner and Morgan Cole in three-way merger talks”

Consolidation continues as Manchester institution Pannone succumbs to Slater and Gordon’s advances

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After months of speculation, Slater and Gordon has finally announced the acquisition of the consumer services and personal injury (PI) business of Manchester’s Pannone today (28 November) in a deal worth £33m.

Slater and Gordon will acquire the majority share of Pannone, including personal injury and serious injury, clinical negligence, court of protection, family, wills, trusts and probate, property, as well as some elements of the employment and dispute resolution practice areas.

According to a statement by Pannone: ‘A new and independent business called Pannone Corporate LLP will be formed at the same time which will focus on commercial and corporate work for business clients.’

Continue reading “Consolidation continues as Manchester institution Pannone succumbs to Slater and Gordon’s advances”

Merger talks: Dentons and McKenna Long partners say no to a tie-up

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Just two days after Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and New York-headquartered Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman called off their potentially game changing merger, Dentons and McKenna Long & Aldridge have announced that their partners have said no to a tie-up, after the decision was put to a partnership vote yesterday (26 November).

Both firms confirmed that they were in merger talks in late September and a vote was originally scheduled for 14 November, which if it had gone through would have created a firm with around 3,100 lawyer globally. Continue reading “Merger talks: Dentons and McKenna Long partners say no to a tie-up”

Merger talks: Orrick and Pillsbury call time on talks after client conflict issues dominate

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The potentially game changing merger between California-based Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and New York-headquartered Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman is off after the firms said issues surrounding client conflicts of interest had proved insurmountable.

The firms disclosed around a month ago that they were in talks, with a view to creating a 1,800-lawyer practice with revenues of around $1.4bn, putting the combined entity in the top 15 law firms in the world by fee income. Continue reading “Merger talks: Orrick and Pillsbury call time on talks after client conflict issues dominate”