Yorkshire law firms to combine to create major regional player

YORKSHIRE law firms Lupton Fawcett Lee & Priestley and Denison Till have confirmed that they are to join forces.

The merger, which takes effect from Monday, will create a new firm called Lupton Fawcett Denison Till with 280 staff, turnover of more than £18m and offices in Sheffield, Leeds and York.

Richard Marshall, Lupton Fawcett Lee & Priestley’s managing director said: ”The addition of the first class team from Denison Till represents a great step forward in our journey to achieve our strategy being the Yorkshire region’s law firm of choice by meeting the needs of our region’s wealth creators for commercial advice in their business capacities, and their need for wealth preservation services in their private capacities. I am delighted to welcome our new colleagues and know that together we can better serve our clients.”

Jonathan Cripwell, Denison Till managing partner, will join Lupton Fawcett Denison Till’s Management Board, its Strategy Board, and will head the York operation.

He said: ‘’We are delighted to be able to bring Lupton Fawcett Lee & Priestley’s breadth of offering to our clients, whilst at the same time being able to complement and add to Lupton Fawcett Lee & Priestley’s services. Together we are well placed to meet the challenges of an increasingly demanding and sophisticated market and to build the leading legal offering in York and North Yorkshire.”

Part of Lupton Fawcett Lee & Priestley’s strategy is to develop a complete offering into the market, joining forces with Denison Till brings new additions in the form of key practice areas such as Landed Estates, Ecclesiastical Law, and Construction.

Mr Marshall said that the move into York gives the firm a unique footprint in the region, well placed to serve West, South and North Yorkshire.

He said the firm had achieved growth of just over 33% in the first half of the current financial year and has further plans to grow in the region.

Richard Marshall added: ”We are very interested to speak to first class lawyers wanting to make themselves and their teams part of Lupton Fawcett Denison Till’s fast developing and exciting future whether in York, Sheffield or Leeds. We fully intend to grow our offices to respond to the needs of the market with the help of the best talent in the area.”