London firms Seddons and Lawrence Stephens have called off a potential merger that would have created a full-service firm of over 180 people with £25m annual turnover. The merger had been expected to complete in October, with the combined firm moving to new London premises.

In a statement today, West End outfit Seddons and Lawrence Stephens, a commercial firm based in Farringdon, said they had reached a ’mutual decision’ to discontinue merger negotiations. The firms jointly commented: ’Together we have concluded that, while a merger between our firms presented an attractive opportunity with clear benefits for our clients and our people, ongoing negotiations highlighted considerations that prevented further progress. For both our firms, this merger represented an exciting opportunity rather than a business need. We remain on excellent terms and we will now focus again on our respective growth plans to capitalise on the strong momentum that we are both enjoying.’

Simon Ross

Simon Ross, managing partner, Seddons

Seddons, a top-200 law firm based in Portman Square, specialises in real estate, corporate, dispute resolution, private client and family law. Lawrence Stephens specialises in real estate, banking, corporate and commercial, and commercial litigation.

The senior directors of Lawrence Stephens were set to become equity partners in a new LLP, creating a combined partnership of 13 equity partners and 37 fixed-share partners.