Davis Blank merges with Rupert Wood

North-west law firm Davis Blank Furniss is to take over an Ashton-under-Lyme practice.

The firm, which has offices in Manchester and Derbyshire, is to merge with Rupert Wood & Son, taking its number of partners to 14.

Senior partner at Davis Blank, Peter Heginbotham, says that the Rupert Wood office lay in-between his firm's two offices and there was a lot of synergy between the two practices.

"We have our main office in Manchester, which has a significant commercial practice, and an office in Glossop, which is a substantial typical town practice with a lot of private client work.

"Rupert Wood is between the two, with a sizeable private client practice but also a lot of commercial work.

"Commercial work has become more specialist so we will be able to supply the Ashton clients with a specialist commercial practice in the same way we do in Glossop."

The merged practice, which will continue to use the Rupert Wood name, will have 32 lawyers, five of whom are from the newcomer.