National firm Knights has declined to say how many people lost their jobs when it finalised the acquisition of rival Moore Barlow this week.
The listed firm added offices in Guildford, Lymington, Richmond (London) and Southampton in one of its biggest-ever acquisitions. The process was officially completed yesterday, with Knights saying it is now the largest legal and professional services business in the UK regions.
The £27 million deal to buy Moore Barlow is believed to have come with the usual Knights model of keeping on fee-earners - around 160 in this case - and making most support staff redundant. The firm declined to say how many people had lost their jobs as a result, but several former Moore Barlow employees revealed on social media yesterday that they were leaving, some after decades with the firm. The most recent accounts for Moore Barlow show that during the 2024/25 year the firm employed 447 people.
Moore Barlow offices in Woking and Guildford have been merged into a new location in Guildford while the City base has closed.
In a Linkedin post to mark the end of Moore Barlow, which has existed in some form for 200 years, the firm said: ‘The needs of our clients continue to evolve, as they navigate increasing complexity, regulation and technological change. Being part of Knights provides the scale to invest in our people, technology and specialist expertise, while retaining the close personal relationships and tailored advice our clients value.’
Chief executive David Beech said the merger strengthens Knights’ presence in the south and adds depth in areas where the business was already strong: the firm now has more than 200 professionals in commercial real estate, more than 100 people in residential property and boasts one of the country's largest specialist legal groups focused on landed estates and rural business.
Beech added: 'The strength of Moore Barlow has always been its people, the relationships they have built and the quality of their expertise. Those qualities make this a particularly strong fit for Knights because we share the same belief that professional services should be personal.
‘That has always been central to our ethos: clients should know the people advising them, be able to reach them when they need them and receive advice shaped around their particular circumstances.’
The clinical negligence and personal injury teams of Moore Barlow will join Fletchers Solicitors, while the Court of Protection team will join EMG Solicitors, the specialist Court of Protection business within Fletchers Group.
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