Growing firms either side of the Pennines have announced their first acquisitions of this year.
Top 100 firm Express Solicitors, which is headquartered in Manchester, has bought Liverpool firm HNK Solicitors and transferred its 25 staff to the business.
HNK, a data and cyber crime specialist, will be rebranded as Express but will continue working from its Liverpool office. Partners Brian Higgs and Craig Newton will stay on despite resigning as directors of the HNK business.
Around 11,500 cases will be transferred to Express under the terms of the deal, including several data breach cases will multi-party actions. The Express headcount now stretches to almost 800.
HNK Solicitors, a trading name of UK Law Nationwide Ltd, was in good health according to its accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024. The firm had reduced its short-term debts to less than £1m and had net assets of almost £2.2m.
In the year ended 31 August 2024, personal injury specialist Express Solicitors had more than 24,000 cases, 15,000 taken on during the year. Turnover increased by 17% to £49.6m but profit before tax dropped from £8.6m to £125,564. This was explained by the previous acquisitions of Amelans Solicitors, Jefferies Solicitors and Michael Halsall Solicitors which were written off the balance sheet.
Meanwhile, Yorkshire firm Ison Harrison has acquired the personal injury firm Armstrong Luty Solicitors, based in Skipton.
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The move increases the firm’s total number of offices across the region to 21, with more branches being announced imminently as part of a continued expansion strategy.
Armstrong Luty, established 30 years ago, will continue in its current office under the Ison Harrison brand. Ison Harrison, which has been employee-owned since 2022, will have a staff of 350 following the acquisition. The firm posted turnover of £20m and pre-tax profit of £4.7m in the year ended 31 December 2023.
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