A press release celebrating a ‘merger’ still remains on the Mace & Jones website, but the announcement was premature and a union with Elliotts was not to be.
In a bizarre U-turn, Elliotts will join northern firm Ricksons Solicitors rather than Mace & Jones. Mace & Jones’ senior partner Graeme Jump confirmed that the deal had come “unstuck” at a late stage.
At the beginning of August, Ricksons’ managing partner Anthony Hughes was approached by accountancy firm Howarth Clark White-hall, which was looking to broker a deal for the Elliotts lawyers. Partners voted the deal through last week.
The deal will take the total number of partners at Ricksons to 28, with four of the five Elliotts’ partners joining the equity. Predicted turnover of the combined firms will be around £8m.
Despite the collapse of merger negotiations with Mace & Jones, Elliotts is giving its files from the Accident Group to the firm. One remaining Elliotts’ personal injury partner will take the rest of the claimant work to Preston firm Anderson Eden.