The latest acquisition for Fletchers, here’s the word;
Fletchers Group has acquired serious injury specialists Serious Injury Law Ltd. Bolton-based Serious Injury Law was founded in 1989 and has built an enviable reputation as a leader in representing clients who have sustained severe injuries, achieving numerous multi-million-pound settlements and earning top tier status from Legal 500. The practice, which also has a strong proposition in court of protection and clinical negligence, is led by equity partners Tim Walters, Matt Dixon and Ben Priestley.
The Serious Injury Law team will become part of Fletchers Group and the Serious Injury Law brand will be retained, as will the offices in Bolton and Cambridge. Fletchers Group CEO Peter Haden said the acquisition strengthens the Group’s presence in the North West, creates a clear leader in the field, and brings together two teams with highly complementary relationships and capabilities.
“This is an important deal for us, in that it reinforces our leadership in serious personal injury and underscores our strategy to strengthen the Group by acquiring exceptional law practices with excellent reputations. The combination of our existing serious injury practice with our new colleagues from SIL will create the strongest team in the sector, and we are particularly excited to invest behind the reputation and relationships that Tim, Matt and Ben have developed over recent years.
“Just as importantly, they share our values in terms of practice excellence, integrity and the privilege of client service. There is no doubt there’s lots we can learn from each other, but we start from the same place on the things that matter most.”
Haden said that integration is likely to be completed by 1st May, with Caroline Morris, Director of Serious Injury, taking overall responsibility for the combined serious injury team, which will operate under the SIL brand. Kate Edwards, Director of Private Client, will lead the court of protection team, and the clinical negligence lawyers will become part of the wider Group clinical negligence team.
Commenting on the deal, Tim Walters said: “Consolidation in the serious injury market is gathering pace thanks to a wave of reform and subsequent changes to business models which reflect the emerging market landscape.”
He added: “It quickly became clear during our discussions with Peter and the team that combining our team with Fletchers represented the best possible future for our brilliant lawyers, support staff and our clients. Becoming part of a bigger Group will give our colleagues many more development opportunities and we are excited by the potential for Fletchers to help accelerate our plans for growth. We strongly believe we share a very similar culture and set of values, which will be important as we aim to ensure a smooth integration.”
POST OFFICE/FUJITSU ACTION
Haden explained that the combined Group (which has also acquired Cycle SOS, Minton Morill, Emsleys’ PI division and Blume, one of the sector’s leading providers of high-quality personal injury and clinical negligence work) is well-placed to support a ‘reboot in the public perception of the claimant sector, which has received a boost from public interest in the recent Post Office scandal.’
“The Post Office scandal shows how important it is for law firms to support some of the least powerful in society and help them get access to justice and regain their self-respect when no-one in authority would give them the time of day. In a similar way, we help thousands of injured people who, without our support, would struggle to be heard, much less achieve the compensation they need to rebuild their lives and move forward.
“The multiple waves of reform over the past two decades, and the under-investment in our court system, has curtailed access to justice, and frankly the biggest beneficiaries have been powerful vested interests, both corporate and public institutions.
“Many law firms have exited the market altogether leaving it more difficult for damaged people to find representation. However, by scaling up, investing in technology, and continually working to make our firm better I’m confident that we, and our new colleagues from Serious Injury Law, can continue to provide an exceptional service to the injured people we represent, and make sure their voices are heard.”
Be the first to comment