Private equity-backed Fletchers will take on an extra 80 staff after buying up the serious injury practice arm of national firm Shoosmiths. Around 900 clients will have the option of moving their claims across to Fletchers; these include 20 ultra-high value cases worth at least £20m.

Announcing the move, Shoosmiths said it wants to focus on other parts of its business, while Fletchers will add new bases in Birmingham, Thames Valley and Northampton. The deal also includes a substantial number of ongoing Court of Protection clients.

Shoosmiths serious injury lead partner Phil Barnes will lead the new business in the Midlands and south and will support the integration over the first six months of the acquisition, which is due to be completed next month.

The deal continues two trends in the legal market in recent months: the growth of firms backed by private equity investment and the consolidation in the personal injury market, with other large firms opting to sell to specialist providers and focus on private client and corporate work.

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Shoosmiths chief executive David Jackson said the firm had carried out a strategic review of the serious injury market and decided to come out. ‘The serious injury market has evolved quickly, and continued success in this area demands substantial, specialist investment,’ said Jackson. ‘After extensive discussions, we’re confident that Fletchers offers the right home for our people and our clients, with the focus, scale, and ambition needed to support long-term growth.’

Fletchers is now one of the largest clinical negligence and injury practices in the UK and has grown significantly since it was bought by Sun European Partners LLP in 2021. It has acquired seven firms in the past three years, including Scott Rees and Sheldon Davidson Solicitors in the last year, and signed around 13,000 serious injury cases in 2024. This work in progress has doubled since the private equity investment.

Fletchers chief executive Peter Haden said: ‘I fully expect Fletchers to continue to be a leading player in the current wave of consolidation working through the claimant sector. We remain resolute in our ambition to be the UK’s most successful serious injury law firm, via a mix of inorganic and organic growth, and continued investment in our people and technology. We also intend to be a vocal contributor to the debate about the essential role we and our peers play in helping people move forward from what is often the worst experiences of their lives.’

The terms of the deal were undisclosed.