East Midlands law firm expands footprint as merger completes

Sarah Walker-Smith and Richard Hill

Law firm Shakespeare Martineau, which is part of the Ampa group, has completed its merger with Bristol-headquartered firm GL Law – expanding its reach into the south-west for the first time.

The deal will add 60 staff to the Shakespeare Martineau team and will help take the group’s turnover to more than £100m for financial year 2022/23.

There are no redundancies as part of the merger and the firm says it is looking to recruit talent in the Bristol market.

Sarah Walker-Smith, CEO of Shakespeare Martineau and Ampa, said: “We’re thrilled the merger is now official and GL Law is part of Shakespeare Martineau.

“Our House of Brands strategy includes a combination of introducing new standalone brands to the group or combining new teams or entities with our current leading brands. 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 footprint of this brand within our group.”

Richard Hill, managing director at GL Law, said: “What’s crucial for us is continuation of service for our clients and the best opportunities for our people – this merger offers both. We’ve been acting for owner-managed businesses, SMEs, start-ups and some of the most discerning private clients across the Southwest and beyond for more than 300 years and we look forward to continuing and extending this legacy under the Shakespeare Martineau brand.”

GL Law’s Bristol hub will become Shakespeare Martineau’s 11th location, adding to its current presence in Birmingham, Stratford-upon-Avon, Solihull, Nottingham, Leicester, Lincoln, London, Milton Keynes, Sheffield and Edinburgh.

The merger was agreed in May 2022 and has now completed.

Ampa, which has pending B Corporation status, also includes consumer law brand Lime Solicitors, planning consultancy Marrons Planning, uninsured loss recovery firm Corclaim, cyber security company CSS Assure and Sussex law firm Mayo Wynne Baxter.

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