Top-100 commercial firm Shakespeare Martineau is to make 45 staff redundant – two months after it was formed through the merger of Shakespeares and SGH Martineau.

The firm has been conducting an ‘ongoing business review’ since the two firms merged on 15 June.

Clients and markets director Jo Thornell said the review ‘highlighted that in some areas we currently consider that there is a need to reduce the size of some of our teams and we are proposing to make 45 jobs redundant’.

The redundancies will affect the firm’s business support teams and some fee-earners in Birmingham and London.

Thornell said the firm would be ‘consulting’ with those who are affected by the proposals ‘and will work to avoid compulsory redundancies wherever possible’.

Top-100 firms Shakespeares and SGH Martineau confirmed in May they were merging, leading to a new firm with a headcount of 900 people and a combined turnover of £75m.

CEO Andy Raynor (pictured) said at the time that the merger ‘demonstrates the commitment of both firms to grow and keep ahead of a rapidly changing and vibrant marketplace’.

The firm has offices in Birmingham, Leicester, London, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Solihull, Stratford upon Avon as well as an international office in Brussels.