Pair of Home Counties firms tie the knot

st albans firm Taylor Walton has merged with Wainwrights of Hemel Hempstead to form one of the largest practices in the northern Home Counties.

The merged firm will have 17 partners and 130 staff. It will be known as Taylor Walton in St Albans, Harpenden and Luton, and as Taylor Walton Wainwrights in Hemel Hempstead.

John Hobson, who became senior partner of Taylor Walton on 1 July, said that the two firms came to know each other when an assistant moved from Wainwrights to Taylor Walton last year.

"When we started exploring the possibilities of a merger we discovered a lot of common features," said Hobson. "After that it all fitted very swiftly."

Taylor Walton's strengths lie in company commercial, commercial litigation and relocation, and it has a specialist in immigration.

The firm was always interested in expanding through merger, Hobson said. "Most of the things I had read suggested that larger firms are more successful. We felt a merger would be more effective than internal growth," he added.

Hobson also said that Hemel Hempstead was seen as an attractive location because it is in the M25 corridor and has an M1 link. Companies in the area include Kodak, Lucas, DuPont and SmithKline Beecham.

"We strongly believe this is an area in which quality work can be found," said Hobson. "We see the merger with Wainwrights as a springboard."