McGrigors raid for energy team cuts Ledingham in half

McGrigors is poised to make a stunning entry into the oil and gas market by launching a raid that splits Scottish rival Ledingham Chalmers in two.

The Scottish heavyweight is in the advanced stages of talks to acquire the entire Aberdeen-based energy team and the energy-related corporate and property teams, including some from Ledingham's recently opened London office.

The deal will see some 25 lawyers and around a dozen partners join the Scottish firm, including the highly respected oil and gas head Bob Ruddiman.

Aberdeen-based Ledingham is a £13m-turnover firm focused on serving the North Sea oil and gas industry. Last year it opened a London office in a bid broaden its service offering and widen its focus.

The 45 lawyers remaining at Ledingham will form a new limited-liability partnership under the same name. A spokesman said it would continue to focus on serving the oil services industry along with insurance litigation, the small and medium-sized enterprise market and the private client sector.