Sheffield's Shakespeare Martineau completes GL Law merger

3rd October 2022

Full-service law firm Shakespeare Martineau has completed its merger with leading Bristol-headquartered firm GL Law – expanding its reach into the South West for the first time.

Full-service law firm Shakespeare Martineau has completed its merger with leading Bristol-headquartered firm GL Law – expanding its reach into the South West for the first time.

Adding more than 60 people to the Shakespeare Martineau team and the first gateway to the region via an office hub in Bristol, the GL Law team will bolster Shakespeare Martineau’s existing expertise, taking a tech-first approach, while further expanding its sector specialisms.

Part of legal and professional services group Ampa, Shakespeare Martineau’s Bristol expansion is in line with the wider group strategy of investing in and bolstering the brands across the group’s portfolio to truly unlock their potential. The union will help take the group’s turnover to more than £100 million for financial year 2022/23.

There are no redundancies as part of the merger and the firm is proactively looking to recruit talent in the Bristol market. The partners based in Bristol will drive the Shakespeare Martineau brand locally.

Sarah Walker-Smith, CEO of Shakespeare Martineau and Ampa, said: “We’re thrilled the merger is now official and GL Law is part of Shakespeare Martineau.

“Our House of Brands strategy includes a combination of introducing new standalone brands to the group or combining new teams or entities with our current leading brands. In the case of GL Law, its existing legal offering and its market, it made sense for it to join Shakespeare Martineau and expand the footprint of this brand within our group.”

Richard Hill, managing director at GL Law, said: “What’s crucial for us is continuation of service for our clients and the best opportunities for our people – this merger offers both. We’ve been acting for owner-managed businesses, SMEs, start-ups and some of the most discerning private clients across the Southwest and beyond for more than 300 years and we look forward to continuing and extending this legacy under the Shakespeare Martineau brand.”

GL Law’s Bristol hub will become Shakespeare Martineau’s 11th location, adding to its current presence in Birmingham, Stratford-upon-Avon, Solihull, Nottingham, Leicester, Lincoln, London, Milton Keynes, Sheffield and Edinburgh.

The merger was agreed in May 2022 and has now completed.

Ampa, which has pending B Corporation status, also includes consumer law brand Lime Solicitors, planning consultancy Marrons Planning, uninsured loss recovery experts Corclaim, and cyber security company CSS Assure and award-winning full-service Sussex law firm Mayo Wynne Baxter.