Partner reshuffle as royal solicitors seal merger agreement

The merger of niche defamation defendant practice Crockers Oswald Hickson with royal lawyers Farrer & Co was sealed last week.Crockers media partners Richard Shillito, Nicholas Alway and Rupert Gray will move into Farrer & Cos offices with assistant Jonathan Crusher, who becomes a partner, five assistants and three consultants.

Mr Gray and Farrers partner Robert Clinton will head the combined firms six-partner media group.

Crockers property partner Simon Kingston and employment partner Katy Jones also join Farrers.The name will be Farrer & Co, incorporating Crockers, but in time the Crockers name will vanish from the 51-partner merged firm.Crockers partner Peter Norman left with most of the personal injury team to join Lawfords earlier this year, while probate partner Allen McFadyen is becoming a consultant at Wilsons.

Property partner Diana Cornforth moved in March to niche property firm Piper Smith & Basham.Mr Gray said the two firms, both highly regarded for their defendant libel work, complement each other.Crockers client base includes The Daily Telegraph and The Financial Times; Farrer & Co does much work for News International, including The Sun and The News of the World.See Press Round-up, page 10Jeremy Fleming