Bristol-headquartered law firm GL Law has merged with national legal practice Shakespeare Martineau.
GL Law will adopt the Shakespeare Martineau brand, which is part of legal and professional services group Ampa, adding more than £4.5m to the group’s turnover and more than 60 people to its team.
There are no redundancies planned as part of the merger, the company said.
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GL Law’s Bristol office will become Shakespeare Martineau’s first in the South West and will add to its current presence in Birmingham - where the group is headquartered - Stratford-upon-Avon, Solihull, Nottingham, Leicester, Lincoln, London, Milton Keynes, Sheffield and Glasgow. GL Law’s London-based legal experts will join Shakespeare Martineau’s existing London hub.
GL Law, which has been operating in the South West for more than 300 years, has started its transition to the group and its equity directors will officially become members of Ampa later in the year.
Richard Hill, managing director at GL Law said: “By joining the exceptional team at Shakespeare Martineau, a firm that truly shares our values and ethos, we will be in a much stronger position to accelerate our ambitious growth plans.
“There is a lot of consolidation in the legal market right now, but no one is offering what Shakespeare Martineau does. Together, we’re bringing a completely new approach to professional services in the local market."
According to Shakespeare Martineau, its partnership with GL Law is in line with the wider group strategy of investing in brands within the group portfolio. The merger follows the recent additions to the group of Sussex firm Mayo Wynne Baxter and cyber security consultancy CSS Assure, both of which maintain their standalone brands.
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Sarah Walker-Smith, chief executive of Shakespeare Martineau and Ampa, said: “Cultural fit is crucial in any new team or entity joining the group and we saw so many synergies with GL Law’s ways of working and our house of brands.
“Our house of brands strategy is a combination of introducing new standalone brands to the group or combining new teams or entities to our current brands, and in the case of GL Law, its existing legal offering and its market, it made sense for it to join Shakespeare Martineau and expand the national reach of this brand within our group.”
Ampa, which has pending B Corporation status, also includes uninsured loss recovery experts Corclaim, planning consultancy Marrons Planning and its consumer brand Lime Solicitors.
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