UK top-100 law firm Howard Kennedy and Finers Stephens Innocent LLP (FSI) have agreed a deal to merge later this year.

The London firms announced they have signed heads of agreement with a view to merging under the name of Howard Kennedy FSI by 1 November 2012. The move follows talks that began in February and will create a firm with 351 staff, including 87 partners and 125 fee-earners, with a turnover of £43m.

Howard Kennedy FSI will be headed by chief executive Mark Dembovsky, who joined Howard Kennedy in January 2011. FSI’s current managing partner, Paul Millett, will join the combined firm’s management committee.

The firm will continue to operate from the three current offices of the two firms while it looks to find new premises that will accommodate them all after the present leases expire.

The firms have come together in a bid to become the pre-eminent legal advisers to entrepreneurs, wealthy individuals and families and their businesses and funders.

FSI’s Millett said: ‘Our practices, people and client base are perfectly aligned, and we share a common vision as to how this combination differentiates us from the rest of the legal market.’

Howard Kennedy’s Mark Dembovsky added: ‘This merger will create a strong platform from which to meet the dynamic needs of our entrepreneurial client base, the critical mass from which to deliver the highest-quality services commensurate with a modern day top-100 law firm.’