City firm DJ Freeman is no more. Following a strategic review, the firm has effectively split in two with the media and property team’s heading for Olswang, and the remaining partners to rebrand as Kendall Freeman.
The new firm will consist of 20 partners and will predominantly focus on insurance and litigation. The corporate, public international law, construction and employment practices will also remain.
DJ Freeman chief executive Laurence Harris said that the firm had concluded that the property and media practices had “insufficient strategic fit with the ongoing business”.
The insurance practice has been growing in importance over the past few years for DJ Freeman, which had been traditionally thought of as a property firm. The fee income from the insurance practice has increased by 55 per cent in the last three years and 17 per cent this year alone.
Those joining Olswang include property heavyweights Michael Cassidy and Jonathan Lewis, and top media partner Susan Aslan.
However Kendall Freeman will hang onto new name partner and head of insurance David Kendall, head of corporate Richard Spiller, head of litigation Kevin Perry, and employment head David Von Hagen.
Kendall Freeman is expected to have a turnover of £18 million, compared with DJ Freeman’s turnover last year of £32 million.
Following a restructuring of DJ Freeman, Kendall Freeman will operate from 1 May. It will be housed in one of the current buildings at 43 Fetter Lane.