Major law firm expands with merger
LAW firm Switalskis has merged with North Yorkshire practice Steel & Co.
The 200-strong firm has acquired Steel as part of plans to expand further into North Yorkshire, following the acquisition of York-based Burridge Bloss in 2013.
Steel, a £450,000 turnover firm, has offices in Knaresborough and Boston Spa and will trade under the name Steel & Switalskis.
The deal came into effect on 1 June after an extended period of growth through mergers and acquisitions for Switalskis, which predicts an annual turnover of £11m following the merger.
In 2012 the firm merged with West Yorkshire practices Parker Bird Gardner and Green Williamson Solicitors, expanding its presence nationwide.
John Durkan, managing director at Switalskis, said: “The growth of Switalskis in North Yorkshire reinforces our position as a major Yorkshire law firm, able to offer a personal, face-to-face service to all clients.”
“Steel & Co have a very good reputation in North Yorkshire, they were a good fit and we are increasingly expanding our presence there as part of a long-term business plan.
“We have also just signed up to leasehold properties on Swinegate, which will be our flagship offices in York.
“We’re making a concerted effort to expand legal services offering in North Yorkshire. The new build market is a speciality of ours and there are big projects in the area that are ideal for us.”
This latest merger takes the firm up to 11 branch offices: Wakefield, Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Halifax, Dewsbury, Pontefract, Acomb and York, and now Boston Spa and Knaresborough. Switalskis also provides legal services in conjunction with Walter Brook & Co in Goldthorpe, South Yorkshire.
Steel & Co Partners John Steel and Lynn Curl will remain at Steel & Switalskis along with their dedicated staff. Switalskis now has 19 partners and 220 staff members employed across the Yorkshire region.
John Steel, founding partner of Steel & Co said: “This is a very exciting development; not just for the firm, but also for clients to the firm.
“Joining forces enhances our ability to provide clients with access to a wider range of legal expertise whilst at the same time delivering the high quality service that they have come to expect.”
