Closed firm staff find new home as 400 files acquired

Former colleagues at a closed Yorkshire firm will stay working together after a deal was agreed with another practice to bring them across together.

Ridley & Hall, which already has four offices across the county, will expand into Harrogate after acquiring 400 family and property cases from Berwins Solicitors, which appointed administrators last week. Ridley & Hall will open a new Harrogate office and has recruited six senior former members of the Berwins team to staff it.

Emma Pearmaine, managing director of Ridley & Hall, said the move – and the speed at which the firm reacted – reflected its current strength and ambition to continue growing. ‘We’ve recruited some exceptional legal talent and we are delighted to welcome them to the Ridley & Hall team,’ she said. ‘We know they will bring a great deal of expertise to our business and ensure our Harrogate office is established on a solid footing.

‘Equally, whilst it is obviously sad to see any legal firm, especially one of Berwins’ history and standing, be in a position where it has to appoint administrators, our swift action has also brought reassurance to hundreds of clients who were potentially facing significant disruption.’

Ridley & Hall said it has contacted all affected clients about transferring their files and has worked to ensure minimal disruption.

Solicitor Michelle Crowhurst, who was a director of Berwins, will lead the residential property team, while former managing director Danielle Day will lead the family law team. The rest of the new team consists of residential property specialists Rachael Fell, Alice Hoyle and Jenny Spence, and family law expert Rachael Lyon.

Ridley & Hall was established in Huddersfield almost 100 years ago and now employs more than 120. The firm expanded into South Yorkshire in 2021 when completing the acquisition of Newman & Bond in Barnsley, opened its Leeds office in 2018 and then acquired the Pontefract firm Bashforth Young in 2019.

Pearmaine added: ‘Harrogate has long been on our radar as a potential office base and so recent events have just accelerated that plan. We’ve invested significantly in recent times into new IT infrastructure, a case management system and management software to put us in a position for growth, with the aim of achieving a £7m turnover for our century year. This is another significant step forward for our business.’