A FIRM of Herefordshire solicitors has merged with a leading law firm, creating a combined business with 12 offices

and more than 185 staff.

Ledbury-based Orme & Slade has joined forces with Redkite Solicitors, one of the largest legal firms in Wales and the south-west, to become Redkite Solicitors Incorporating Orme & Slade.

All 28 employees will remain with the firm, which is based in the town's former Natwest Bank Chambers.

Redkite, which previously had 157 employees and 11 offices along the M4 corridor and in Gloucestershire, is pursuing an ambitious growth strategy having doubled its turnover since 2017.

As part of the deal, the firm has taken over the entire Natwest Bank building on the Homend in the centre of Ledbury, and the building has been extensively refurbished both internally and externally.

The merger will allow the firm to offer a broader range of specialist legal services to local businesses, including litigation, contentious probate and employment law.

It also brings extra investment in IT systems, designed to enable the Ledbury office to provide improved client service.

Neil Walker, chief executive of Redkite, said: "Redkite Solicitors has been helping individuals, families and businesses across England and Wales resolve their legal issues for over one hundred years. We have built our heritage on serving market towns and rural businesses and have developed our services to meet their particular needs.

"As a law firm rooted in the local communities it serves, Orme and Slade is the perfect fit for us as we seek to expand our footprint in the border counties.

"The expert teams based in the Ledbury office will continue to provide the same quality service to loyal clients,

while also offering a wider range of legal services to individuals, families and businesses in the area. We are delighted with the merger and the possibilities it brings."

Julie Sutherland, previously a Director at Orme and Slade, is now Lead Partner for the Ledbury office at Redkite.

Commenting on the merger; she said: "This is an exciting development for both Orme & Slade and Redkite Solicitors. By working together, we will be able to offer our clients an even broader range of specialist legal services as well as improved meeting facilities in the heart of the town.

"We are delighted that our director and previous majority shareholder David Rushton will remain working with us

here in our Ledbury offices.

“We are also incredibly excited about joining forces with such a robust legal business and brand.

"We have always been driven by understanding and serving our clients' needs, and we look forward to providing

a more holistic service as a result of this merger."

 

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