Meritas snaps up Finers as it ends two-year mission

Meritas, the massive international law firm network, has ended its almost two-year search for an English member by signing up London firm Finers Stephens Innocent.

The network - which was known as Commercial Law Affiliates until earlier this year - has 200 member firms in 60 countries.

Hammond Suddards Edge became its English member in 1999 before withdrawing from the network in the autumn of 2000.

Meritas initially began looking for a firm with at least 200-300 fee-earners, but president Wendy Horn said it decided to lift 'our previous size restriction for a London member and focus our recruitment strategy on niche, new economy practices.

This led us to FSI'.

The firm has 39 partners, 40 assistants and 11 other fee-earners.

Meritas' European managing director Michael Faulkner said it had talked to four firms in London.

The FSI practice breaks down into property (37%), litigation (29%), corporate/commercial (24%) and private client (10%).

FSI managing partner Anthony Barling explained that the move 'will facilitate the implementation of a bolder international growth programme than local office expansion would ever have allowed'.

Neil Rose