Collyer-Bristow three to set up matrimonial firm

LEADING family law firm Collyer-Bristow is set to lose more than half of its matrimonial team when three partners leave the practice next spring.

The head of its family and matrimonial practice group, Jeremy Levison, is setting up a family law firm with fellow matrimonial partners Claire Meltzer and Simon Pigott.

The three will leave Collyer-Bristow, which is regarded as one of the UK's best matrimonial practices, in May 1998.

The new practice will be known as Levison Meltzer & Pigott, and will be based near Collyer-Bristow's central London office.

Levison, who has been at Collyer-Bristow for the past 19 years, said the split had been "entirely amicable" and that relations with the firm remained "excellent".

Levison added that the general trend in the legal profession was either towards "very big or very small" firms and that he and his fellow partners had decided to make the move so that they could concentrate their resources entirely on the matrimonial practice.

Collyer-Bristow's matrimonial practice group will be left with two partners, Michael Drake and Alan Marco. Senior partner Roger Woolfe said the firm planned to restaff the matrimonial group.

He added: "With Michael and Alan we still have two very high-profile matrimonial lawyers and we are still a major player. We are very good friends with Claire, Jeremy and Simon but this move does give us the scope and the space to expand in other areas.

"We have very much concentrated on the commercial sector as the development area for the firm and we will be redoubling our efforts in this growth area."