Dundas and Bircham unveil proposed merger
Edinburgh-headquartered Dundas & Wilson looks set to attain its goal of bulking up in London after launching official merger talks with London firm Bircham Dyson Bell.
Donald Shaw
According to a source close to the parties, an email has been sent to partners at Dundas informing them that the two firms are discussing a merger and outlining the benefits of such a move ahead of a possible vote.
Bircham and Dundas are understood to have been considering a tie-up for a number of months, but put talks on hold in July. The firms have experience working with each other on parliamentary-related projects.
Senior figures at both firms have previously denied that merger talks are taking place. Bircham senior partner John Stephenson today said that he had no knowledge of the proposals.
Despite this, a joint statement signed by Dundas managing partner Donald Shaw and Bircham managing partner Guy Vincent and released this afternoon said: “As both firms have previously confirmed separately, we’re committed to developing our businesses, and each party has been considering various options including combining forces with firms who could help us to achieve that aim.
“Given our positive mutual experience of collaboration to date, we can confirm that discussions between Dundas & Wilson and Bircham Dyson Bell have taken place as to whether we might combine forces more formally. At this stage we’ve reached no conclusions so it’s very much business as usual for both firms.”
Bircham’s revenue was £31m in the 2010-11 financial year. The firm is particularly well known for its residential property practice and niche offering of PR, planning and parliamentary advice.
Dundas, meanwhile, pulled in £62m in 2010-11. The firm is headquartered in Edinburgh and has an office in Glasgow, but 39 per cent of its revenue comes from its London office.
It is known that Shaw is keen on ramping up in London, and he has previously indicated flexibility on moving away from the firm’s all-equity model, which it would probably have to do to effect a merger.
Shaw did not return calls for comment.
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Readers' comments (11)
Donald where's yer troosis | 20-Sep-2011 3:27 pm
Is this merger a joke? Have the firms done proper due diligence on each other yet?
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Marx | 20-Sep-2011 3:49 pm
What's with one guy saying they're not merging then another releasing a statement with the other firm saying they probably are? Don;t these people talk to each other? A disaster waiting to happen.
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Anonymous | 20-Sep-2011 3:56 pm
Why not? The combined firm is hardly going to worry the global leaders but it makes sense.
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William Wallace | 20-Sep-2011 4:14 pm
Donald Shaw is weird.
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The Proclaimers | 20-Sep-2011 5:53 pm
@Donald, keep your troosers on, as the statement says, they're exploring whether it's worth progressing, which in many people's eyes would include due diligence.
Fair play to both firms if this comes off, BDB in particular has some great people and the new bunch would be a solid national firm. Good luck to them.
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Anonymous | 20-Sep-2011 6:00 pm
The Bircham partners will never vote for this.
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Trev | 20-Sep-2011 7:56 pm
Presumably Dundas's objective is to "asset strip" BDB's parliamentary drafting practice and eject the remainder at the first opportunity. Can't see what's in it for BDB.
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Anonymous | 22-Sep-2011 3:55 pm
The legal world is changing fast and any firm with an eye to the future is looking at the mutual benefits of partnering or merging. As a supplier selling into the sector we are aware of a huge amount of activity of this nature. When the music stops the firms that evolved will survive and those that didn't will be left standing.
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Anonymous | 22-Sep-2011 4:47 pm
Credit to both firms for trying to fulfil their strategic ambitions. It actually makes sense on a number of levels.Good luck to them.
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Brian | 23-Sep-2011 10:12 am
Trev has it. The Bircham partners won't stand for it.
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