West Midlands law firm, Dunham Brindley & Linn, have become an associated practice with Talbots Solicitors in an agreement brokered by The 360 Legal Group. The associated firms now operate from five offices across the region, with a turnover of £4 million and 100 staff.
Talbots, which was established in 1828, will retain its offices in Stourbridge and Kidderminster, jointly employing 70 people, under its own brand. Dunham Brindley & Linn, which was established in 1952 and employs 30 people at its three offices in Wolverhampton, Dudley and Codsall, has been re-branded as DBL Talbots LLP.
The businesses can now offer their commercial and private clients access to a greater range of resources and a wide choice of legal services covering business, crime, disputes and personal injury, matrimonial and child matters, employment, commercial and residential property and wills and probate.
“This association affords an exciting opportunity to strengthen our two businesses despite the recession” explains Talbots' senior partner, Martyn Morgan. It allows Talbots to further our ambitions for regional growth, expanding our legal aid practice and taking our family and criminal law services into new geographical areas.
“Meanwhile DBL, which has an excellent legal team and an established reputation in the local area, will benefit from the strong management practices, modern technology and additional services that Talbots will bring to bear.”
“Here at DBL we recognised that with the changing legal landscape we needed a new business model,” adds Louise Jones, Partner in the original Dunham Brindley & Linn and the new DBL Talbots.
“Fortunately we were given inspirational advice and guidance and introduced to a firm with whom we have great synergy. Having an experienced and forward-thinking management team to drive the associated practices forward means that we can now concentrate on providing the high quality products that have been our strength, leaving us well-positioned to become a significant regional law firm.
“I believe we have achieved what many other law firms will have to do – and we have done it well.”
The firms have confirmed that all DBL partners will remain as part of the new team. Whilst customers will immediately benefit from access to a larger team and a wider range of services, the management team plans to integrate the law firms over time, taking time to understand and match the people and cultures of the respective firms and adopt the best systems and practices provided by each of the teams, ahead of a formal merger in the future.
Viv Williams, Managing Director of The 360 Legal Group, which introduced Talbots to DBL and acted as liaison officer throughout negotiations, comments: “Creating successful associations is about far more than matching a database. It's like running a successful dating agency - knowing the personalities, products and cultures involved and understanding if, and how, they can combine to create a strong and successful law firm.
“In Dunham, Brindley and Linn we had a firm of excellent lawyers which will now be able to evolve and grow on the back of the successful and experienced management structure in place at Talbots.
“It is an excellent match and we confidently predict that this will be a firm to watch for the future.”
Visit Talbots Solicitors site and DBL Talbots (Branch Locations ).
A new website is being developed for DBL Talbots and should be available soon.....
