Yorkshire law firm to set up shop in Solihull

YORKSHIRE’S Neil Hudgell Solicitors is to establish a West Midlands operation after buying a caseload from Solihull-based Forum Law in a £1m-plus deal.

Neil Hudgell Solicitors, specialists in personal injury and medical negligence, already has four offices in Yorkshire and is now opening a fifth at Cranmore Park in Solihull.

Under the Forum deal, public liability and medical negligence work will be transferred and senior fee earner Kate Campbell-Gunn will also move to Neil Hudgell Solicitors.

The deal is the latest expansion for Neil Hudgell Solicitors which in recent months has purchased personal injury files from North Yorkshire-based Williamson Hill and the personal injury and clinical negligence caseload from former Peterborough-based Carters Solicitors.

Neil Hudgell Solicitors also bought three other practices outright last year.

Managing Director Neil Hudgell said: “This is a very exciting time for us indeed and we’re looking forward to the future. The move into the Midlands is part of our continued business growth strategy and in the coming months we’ll be looking for further acquisition opportunities.

“As well as taking on this new caseload, we’ve recently had an increase in Midlands-based clients and, with this latest acquisition from Forum, it makes sense to open a fifth office from which we will be able to serve them.”

Jeff Zindani, Forum Law’s managing partner, said the move was part of a restructuring of his firm.

Mr Zindani said: “The sale is one of the outcomes of a pre-Jackson review of personal injury based work and a new focus on boutique legal services.

“A new business model is emerging at Forum and we realised we needed to transfer our PI and Medical Negligence caseload. Neil Hudgell Solicitors is the ideal purchaser as the practice has national coverage and expertise.”