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PINSENT MASONS AND MCGRIGORS AGREE TO MERGE

International law firm Pinsent Masons and national law firm McGrigors have confirmed plans to merge the two organisations following a partner vote.

The combined firm will operate worldwide under the name and brand of Pinsent Masons and employ more than 2500 people including over 1500 lawyers, 500 of whom will be based in Pinsent Masons' headquarters in the City of London.

The new firm will have market-leading UK coverage, with a significant presence in each of the UK's three legal jurisdictions. Its international profile, which already encompasses offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore, will include two offices in the Gulf (Dubai and Qatar), with two more offices in France and Germany expected to open during 2012.

Chris Mullen, senior partner of Pinsent Masons, said: "We've been very encouraged by the strong support from among our clients and the resoundingly positive reception to the merger proposal by our partners. Each firm has great respect for the other's reputation and culture and recognises that we have a common heritage of quality coupled with ambitious plans to grow our capabilities even further.

“We believe this is the best way to deliver an even better offering to our UK and international clients who demand both a broad range of high quality services and excellent value. We're really looking forward to joining up and getting on with our plans together."

Richard Masters, managing partner of McGrigors, said: "This deal is great news for clients of both firms and we are delighted to be merging with Pinsent Masons. The merger is the result of a strong cultural and operational fit, with clients from both firms being major UK and international players. We believe that the new firm will provide a solid platform for growth, allowing us to become a clear market-leader in strategically key sectors."

"While I am sure there will be many who are sorry to see the McGrigors name go, we hope that sentiment is tempered by an appreciation that the country's foremost law firm will now become an integral part of an internationally recognised legal brand – which will in turn allow us to better service our clients as they expand into new markets."

Aberdee- based McGrigors partner and head of the Energy team, Bob Ruddiman, added: “Aberdeen is an international city with a long tradition of companies exporting products and specialist skills across the world. This merger will greatly benefit not only our energy industry clients in the north east, but also those involved in agriculture, education, construction and engineering, who regularly access global markets.”

McGrigors signalled its continued commitment to Aberdeen last month (Jan) when it announced its 50 strong team would move to a new 16,000 headquarters in the city’s Queens Road and forecast the firm would boost staff number to over 80.

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