Addleshaws mulls Scottish swoop

ADDLESHAW GODDARD remains interested in a merger with Scottish firm Maclay Murray & Spens but have insisted that talk of a done deal is premature.

The tier one commercial law firm, which has its Manchester office at Barbirolli Square, has previously acknowledged it is considering a deal, which would create a £230m-turnover firm.

Trade journal The Lawyer  said a deal was now only “dependent on a partnership vote” and the firm would be officially merged on May 1.

However in a statement Addleshaw Goddard said: “We have consistently said that a merger at some point in the future is a possibility we would consider. It is an option we keep under regular review, but there is nothing to report and we do not comment on speculation.”

Maclays has a turnover of £43.5m, which makes it one of the largest independent firms in Scotland. Addleshaw Goddard, led by Mancunian  John Joyce, does not have a presence north of the border and would benefit from Maclays’ offices in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Addleshaw Goddard has UK offices in Leeds, London and Manchester and international offices in  Doha, Dubai, Hong Kong, Muscat and Singapore.