Expanded Manchester presence boosts Mills & Reeve

NATIONAL law firm Mills & Reeve’s acquisition of Manchester firm George Davies has started to bear fruit after it posted a 12% hike in turnover.

The so-far happy marriage with George Davies – which was based in the same city centre building as the Mills & Reeve team – saw fee income increase from £70.9m to £79.5m in the 12 months to the end of May, the first full year post merger.

Average profit per equity partner (PEP) rose by 2.7%, from £324,000 to £333,000 in the financial year.

The fee income tops expectations of £77m when the two firms announced their union in April 2013.

As a result of the merger, the firm boosted its total number of fee-earners by 8.5%, from 426 to 462. Its qualified lawyers increased by 9.8% to 367 from 335.  The total number of partners grew from 94 to 110.

Partner Mark Hovell, who heads the Manchester office of Mills & Reeve, said: “We have exceeded our fee targets in Manchester and now have an excellent platform from which to achieve our growth ambitions.

“Mills & Reeve’s strength and expertise across a number of sectors have proven to be a key driver in our North West expansion and we have continued to grow market share in these areas, particularly in health and education.

“Recent instructions from key organisations include University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and the Royal Northern College of Music.”

The firm was also one of the sponsors of TheBusinessDesk.com’s successful new Rainmaker Awards for corporate finance.

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