Yorkshire's Keeble Hawson and HLW agree terms of merger

The marriage between the two firms will take effect from 1 October, with the new firm adopting the title of HLW Keeble Hawson.

For the 2010-11 financial year, Keeble Hawson posted revenue of £10.6m, a slight drop from the previous year’s figure of £10.7m. Meanwhile, HLW, which has an August year-end, posted revenue of £5.8m in 2009-10.

HLW Keeble Hawson will have a partnership of about 40 in addition to 56 solicitors and 53 other fee-earners.

The new firm will have a combined management team of five, with HLW’s managing partner Roger Dyson taking the title of deputy managing partner, while Keeble Hawson’s managing partner Paul Trudgill will remain in his current position at the new firm. The management team will also have three elected senior partners.

Trudgill said: “Bringing both firms together presents a great opportunity to build on the quality of support we offer already as a full service law firm to our clients now and in the future across Yorkshire.”

HLW will bring commercial work to the new practice, as well as a dedicated private client services team. 

Both of the firms have completed mergers in the last five years, with Keeble Hawson merging with Frank Allen Pennington in July 2007, giving it a Doncaster presence. 

Meanwhile, HLW moved to Leeds initially after merging with commercial practice McCombie & Co in June 2008, with the new firm being christened HLW McCombie in Leeds.

HLW Keeble Hawson will operate in Sheffield, Leeds and Doncaster.