South: Coffin Mew completes merger to create £15m business

Coffin Mew has completed its merger with Charles Lucas & Marshall (CL&M), creating a £15 million legal business across eight locations with more than 220 employees.

The merger positions Coffin Mew as one of the largest law firms in the central South region, with a 30% increase in turnover and close to 40% increase in staffing levels.

The deal will significantly bolster the firm’s private client offering, with circa 58% of the combined firm’s work dedicated to private client, including a weighty focus on wills, trusts and probate and wealth management.

Recognising Newbury-based CL&M’s experience in the rural land and landed estates sector, this merger signals not only the growth of Coffin Mew in real terms, but the expansion of the firm’s expertise and service provision.

CL&M is expected to continue trading as CL&M for the time being, with no plans to close offices or make redundancies. Existing clients of both firms will have the same staff working on their files, as part of the strengthened combined team, following a full TUPE consultation.

Miles Brown, CEO of Coffin Mew, commented: “We have made no secret of the fact that Coffin Mew is an ambitious firm. We aim to be a £20m turnover company by 2020, and this merger is a big step towards achieving that goal.

"The addition of CL&M’s staff and expertise complements Coffin Mew’s services across the board. Our teams are already working well together, and I look forward to this being the first of many deals as Coffin Mew continues its expansion in the South, building on its position as one of the region’s leading law firms."

Managing partner of CL&M, Hemant Amin added: “In merging with Coffin Mew, we have cemented our ability to offer the highest standards of client services across an increased number of sectors.

“The integration of CL&M staff has been my key focus and I have been delighted with how seamless the process has been. The combined firm’s talents, expertise and experience will certainly make it a legal force to be reckoned with in the South.”