Venerable UK Law Firms Join Forces; M&A Trend Continues

Mark Shapland

10 December 2014

Two ancient London law firms have merged, highlighting continued consolidation in the legal industry that in some ways mirrors what is happening in wealth management.

Hunters and May, May & Merrimans – founded in 1715 and 1786 respectively – officially come together in April next year.

The firm will be called Hunters - have 120 staff - and its main office at 9 New Square, Lincoln's Inn. It is the latest in a spate of mergers which include Speechly Bircham and Charles Russell around a month ago. Another deal involved Berkeley Law and Irwin Mitchell.

The combination of these firms comes at a time when other parts of those firms dealing with high net worth individuals, such as private banks, have also seen M&A activity to exploit benefits of scale, particularly in the face of more complex client demands and rising regulatory cost burdens.

"It is our responsibility to keep evolving so that we continue to be a leading Lincoln’s Inn law firm for many generations to come. May, May & Merrimans have an exceptionally strong private client department and a very well established property practice. Their team will provide us with significant strength in depth ensuring that we continue to offer a comprehensive service to all of our clients," said Paul Almy, Senior Partner at Hunters.