law 17
Beacon of legal excellence on south coast
As Blake Lapthorn and Morgan Cole combine, Martin Hirst, regional senior partner at the newly-merged firm, reflects on Blake Morgan’s presence on the south coast
Blake Lapthorn has been established locally for years, with clients based all along the south coast. Why have you chosen Morgan Cole as a merger partner?
It’s largely about geography and depth of expertise. Blake Lapthorn began in Portsmouth in the late 19th Century and has grown to be one of the best-known firms on the south coast. We have a distinguished history of service for businesses, the public sector and charities as well as private individuals.
Morgan Cole, equally, is a firm with very established bases in Cardiff, Swansea, Oxford and Reading. We see one another as an excellent match, not only because of what we share in terms of ethos and culture, but also because of the complementary strengths of our practice groups.
Our geographical fit works well for our clients too. Blake Morgan will be a dominant presence from South Wales, along the Thames Valley and southern England, right through to London. I would also emphasise that local connections form a very important part of our mix. Both firms are well embedded in their local and business communities as a result of their longstanding presence and dedicated CSR programmes. We encourage our people to engage actively with our communities. This can range from supporting initiatives such as Shaping the Future of Portsmouth and providing local businesses with governance or general business advice, through to our charitable endeavours with local charities.
As we all know, the business world is changing rapidly. What provision is Blake Morgan making to be ready for future changes?
Undoubtedly the business world has become more complex and certain sectors have grown in importance, including the legal sector where there has been – and continues to be – major consolidation. These days, clients are often looking for a full range of services under one roof. As such, the merger will bring a broad range of legal skills together, reinforcing the depth of services we can offer.
’We see the planned regeneration of Southampton and Portsmouth, and the projects and growth that these will entail, as great opportunities to apply our combined capabilities’
To expand on this point, in a highly-competitive business world it’s more important than ever before to be well connected. Our offices in the south coast can benefit from the skills of those in Wales, the Thames Valley and London, and vice versa – it’s never going to be one-way traffic from London outwards. Our offices are not arranged in a hierarchy,54 we expect each to be a centre of excellence.
What would you say are the principal areas of practice for you locally?
On the south coast, Blake Lapthorn has grown in number and strength over many years. Our position as a trusted law firm in the region has been gained through our ability to offer clients excellence in legal advice and service – whether for individuals and private client work, owner-managed businesses or large corporate organisations including housebuilders, corporate tenants and commercial developers.
Our private client work remains a core element of our business, as we work with landed estate owners and farmers, providing advice for their individual or business needs. We still have leading expertise in Court of Protection, wills, probate, tax and trusts, family law and residential property.
Our residential development and commercial development expertise continues to grow from strength to strength – either as part of regeneration schemes or as standalone projects.
For future opportunities as a newly-merged firm, in particular I would pick out growth in working with more owner-managed businesses and entrepreneurs, the public sector, competition law, healthcare and education – particularly universities. Together, we have many of the leading lawyers in these fields of practice, and many others, in the region.
What’s really exciting for us is that we are now extremely well placed to take on the most
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – JULY/AUGUST 2014
challenging work the region has to offer, much of which has traditionally gone to the London firms. This is the benefit of increased scale in a very competitive market and, with our local roots, our offer really is unique.
We also see the planned regeneration of Southampton and Portsmouth, and the projects and growth that these will entail, as great opportunities to apply our combined capabilities.
As well as your new branding, what will make Blake Morgan different and how will clients benefit?
Day to day it will feel very much business as usual for our clients. For existing clients, their points of contact within the firm will remain the same. That said, the merger provides real opportunities to offer enhanced breadth and depth of service. In addition, shared services and infrastructure for the firm will enhance efficiencies and support competitive pricing.
All in all, we offer a compelling combination of a modern outlook with longstanding roots in the regions we serve, and we have ambitious plans for the future.
Blake Morgan is one of the dominant full-service legal providers across the south of England and Wales with 120 partners and over 900 staff and operates from seven locations: Southampton, Portsmouth, London, Cardiff, Reading, Oxford and Swansea.
Details: MARTIN HIRST 023-8090-8090
martin.hirst@blakemorgan.co.uk www.blakemorgan.co.uk
www.businessmag.co.uk
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