Law firm Knights flexes its muscles with NW acquisition

AMBITIOUS Newcastle under Lyme law firm Knights is to take over a rival in the North West.

It is acquiring Darbys which has nearly 50 people in its North West office in Hale, south Manchester. It will be rebranded as Knights in January.

The deal – for an undisclosed sum – will see Knights hit £40m turnover with 300 people based at seven offices around the country.
 
Darbys, led by former Pannone partner Simon McCrum, has grown rapidly in the region in the last two years. It also has offices in Oxford and Essex.
 
Knights says it is now a top 100 law firm by turnover. The firm, founded in the 18th century, became an alternative business structure, in January 2013 and is backed by former Dragon’ Den man James Caan.
 
Chief executive David Beech said: “We have been talking to Darbys as part of Knights’ expansion plans and culturally we felt this was the perfect fit for both businesses in terms of client services, expertise and geographical coverage.
 
“We have a similar ethos in respect of our working practices and our focus on delivering outstanding client service.
 
“Knights set an ambitious business objective to become a top 100 law firm by 2017 – and with the purchase of Darbys, we have achieved that target a year early. We are proud of the growth that Knights has seen over the past two years in particular – which has seen us open in two new locations, appoint more than 150 new professionals and double our turnover.”
 
As part of Knights’ future growth plans, it is seeking to buy or merge with other professional services businesses to add to its legal offering.
 
In particular, regional accountancy groups, tax specialists and property consultancies based outside of Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, are the main focus.

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