Irwin Mitchell adds muscle in the south through acquisition

LAW firm Irwin Mitchell, which has an operation in Birmingham, has taken over a £40m-turnover law firm based in the south of England in its latest move to bolster its business and private client services.

Thomas Eggar, a 130 year-old firm with 450 employees, will become part of Irwin Mitchell, with a rebranding taking place early next year.

The deal, which has been agreed with completion expected next month, will create a £250m law firm and a top-five private client and wealth business.

“A merger with one of the leading business and private client law firms in the south-east will transform our group,” said Andrew Tucker, chief executive of  Irwin Mitchell.

“It combines the strengths of two highly-respected businesses to create a dynamic, client-focused firm that will give us further scale, critical mass and a competitive advantage in our target markets to become the legal brand of choice.”

The combined firm a leading top-five private client and wealth business and it is expected that the deal will be “a catalyst for growth that significantly increases the size” of Irwin Mitchell’s business legal services team – a key priority for a firm that is better known for its personal injury work.

Tucker added: “This deal will significantly add to the value and diversification of our business and act as a catalyst for further growth. It will add significant additional scale to our business legal services division, which, if it were a standalone business, would now be a top 50 legal firm in its own right.

 “This is the latest step in our strategic expansion plan but we see still further opportunities arising as the market continues to consolidate. Our continued growth has given us a strong financial base to drive even greater investment in our group.”

Thomas Eggar’s offices in Chichester, Gatwick, London, Newbury, Southampton and Worthing will be added to Irwin Mitchell’s 11 national offices while its managing partner Vicky Brackett will join Irwin Mitchell’s executive board.

“This is a really exciting merger of two dynamic firms that is great news for our clients and our staff,” Brackett said.