Fairmays merges with Merricks to create national firm

Chelmsford-based Merricks and London firm Fairmays this week merged to form a 21-partner national practice.

The eight partners from Fairmays have joined the Essex firm, which is a limited liability partnership and also has offices in Birmingham, Ipswich and Manchester.

They will continue to trade under the Merricks name for the time being.

Fairmays partner Robert Brooks said: 'We always expected to join a bolt-on practice as part of an ongoing growth strategy.

However, we came across Merricks, struck up a good relationship and in March this year decided to go ahead and merge.

'We have an integration team working on a future firm name and marketing style and changes will take place in due course.'

Michael Lambert, chief executive of Merricks, said: 'We made a strategic decision that organic growth was too slow and too expensive, and were keen to merge with a strong commercial firm.'

Andrew Towler