Slater & Gordon confirms Manchester office hunt
LAW firm Slater & Gordon has confirmed it is looking for a large new office in Manchester after completing its acquisition of part of Pannone.
In a statement marking the conclusion of the deal the Australian legal group said it planned to bring its 700 staff in the city together next year. A requirement of 100,000 sq ft has previously been mooted.
The firm said: “Slater & Gordon is pleased to announce it plans to bring all Manchester-based staff, more than 700 people, under one roof during 2015 and is currently considering a shortlist of suitable properties.”
Slater & Gordon has paid £33m for Pannone’s consumer law divisions which have 400 staff and £34.5m in revenues. It already has around 300 staff in Manchester following the January 2012 acquisition of Russell Jones & Walker and the August takeover of personal injury specialist Fentons.
The Pannone deal has increased Slater & Gordon’s UK headcount by about 50% to more than 1,200 across 18 offices in 13 locations.
Head of UK Neil Kinsella said: “By acquiring this nationally renowned practice we become one of the UK’s largest general law firms. We are proud that both firms have a strong history of fighting for justice for our clients, for example in the practice area of abuse law, where we have the responsibility and privilege of representing the majority of victims of Jimmy Savile.
“Today’s acquisition creates the UK’s largest abuse team, to be led by Liz Dux and Richard Scorer, and we look forward to advocating for our clients to ensure their interests remain a priority for Government and the community.”
Around 50 Pannone staff not included in the deal will move over to a new stand-alone firm, Pannone Corporate, led by partners Paul Jonson and Steven Grant, but around 100 fee earners and and support staff are being made redundant.
