Taylor Walton continues growth with marriage to Myers Cowley

Taylor Walton gains three partners in the move, bringing the partnership count to 25, with a total of more than 250 staff. The Taylor Walton name will remain unchanged. The latest merger follows deals in Hemel Hempstead and St Albans in 1997 and 1999 respectively.
Corporate lawyer Moira Myers, who was senior partner of Myers Cowley until this month's merger, said her firm had been considering the prospect of a merger for the past year to give it greater resource.
The practice was founded five years ago by Myers and employment specialist Heather Cowley, who worked together at Milton Keynes firm Fennemores. They were subsequently joined by Fennemores partner Fiona Cramp, who specialises in commercial property. Clients include City Truck Group of Milton Keynes and ITM Group.
"My partners and I had been considering an appropriate partner in order to manage the amount of work coming in," said Myers.
Myers Cowley considered the possibility of merging with a West End London firm or with a national player, as well as looking at local competitors. Talks with Taylor Walton did not begin seriously until June.
Myers said: "We concluded that, if we could make a local merger work, that would be the right option for us. We wanted to take the firm to the next stage."
She added that very few client conflicts arose during the talks. "We're the new kids on the block in Hemel Hempstead," she said. "We wouldn't expect to have many clients in common."
The three partners will join the firm's commercial team, based in Luton, while Taylor Walton's existing Hemel Hempstead office will be maintained.
Taylor Walton business development partner Richard Atkins said: "We saw in Myers Cowley an excellent set of practitioners who would fit beautifully with our expansion plans.
"We're always on the lookout for opportunities."