Law firm to axe jobs after merger
The biggest solicitors' firm in Leicester is to axe 23 office staff and four lawyers.
Harvey Ingram Shakespeares said it was part of a shake-up which could see 13 lawyers and 41 office staff made redundant across the group.
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It follows the merger of Harvey Ingram, of Leicester, and Birmingham firm Shakespeares this month, creating the second biggest law firm in the Midlands with a combined turnover of £50 million.
Most of the cuts are planned for the office in New Walk, Leicester, which would leave it with 179 lawyers and staff.
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Chief executive Paul Wilson said: "While the majority of the jobs affected are in Leicester, the Harvey Ingram Shakespeares' office in New Walk will remain the biggest commercial law practice in Leicester by some considerable margin."
The company also revealed yesterday it may drop the Harvey Ingram name in 12 months' time.
Bosses plan to close three offices, in Bedford, Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds, with the loss of 11 jobs.
The Bedford site was brought into the group after Harvey Ingram's merger with Borneos, of Milton Keynes, last year. The other two offices were part of Shakespeares.
The rest of the redundancies are in Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Newport Pagnell, Nottingham and Solihull. The group has also decided to close its criminal legal aid practice, operated from Milton Keynes and Bedford.
As a result of this, 13 former employees are setting up an independent business, PS Law, led by Praveen Saigal.
Mr Wilson said: "While we very much regret redundancies are necessary, much is being done, as part of the consultation, to offer people potential opportunities across the firm.
"With changes in our industry, economies of scale from our merger and market conditions have led us to make efficiencies in back office areas.
"The changes we are announcing will help to consolidate our market position and create a strong platform from which we can continue to expand."
Last week, the group announced Mr Wilson had relocated from Birmingham to Leicester and that Stephen Woolfe, senior partner at Harvey Ingram, had become East Midlands senior partner in the combined group.
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