Oxford: Darbys to be acquired by regional law firm Knights

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TBM Team

Regional law firm Knights, which is private-equity backed, is to acquire Darbys, the Oxford legal firm.

The acquisition, which will complete in January, will create a £40 million turnover business.

The deal will see Knights become a top 100 firm with more than 300 professionals across seven offices.

This is the first major acquisition by Knights since it received investment from Hamilton Bradshaw, the private-equity firm whose backers include former Dragons’ Den dragon James Caan, in 2012.

Knights’ 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."

Darbys’ managing partner Simon McCrum said: “This is hugely exciting. It became clear very quickly that Knights and ourselves have the same culture, strengths, national vision, and the same ‘quality’ and ‘service’ ethos."

TBM Team