In brief: Scottish merger could be on the cards

Brian Dorman, senior partner of Scotland's Arthur Andersen associated firm Dorman Jeffrey & Co, has acknowledged that it would probably merge with its larger rival Dundas & Wilson if it also links up with the accountancy firm. Negotiations between Dundas & Wilson and Arthur Andersen over a possible association were revealed in The Lawyer last week. Dorman said he welcomed the prospect of the rival Edinburgh firm "joining us". He envisaged that the two practices would merge if Dundas joined but he acknowledged that he would not be the senior partner of the new firm, saying "there are more of them than us". Senior sources in the Scottish legal market believe that Dundas & Wilson is "very likely" to join Andersens' network, although they warn that there may be "casualties due to equity cleansing".