£1 Million acquisition paves the way for Midlands expansion and a fifth office for Hudgell Solicitors

18/06/2012

Hudgell Solicitors has acquired a large caseload from Solihull-based Forum Law Ltd.

The deal – worth in excess of £1 million – also marks the establishment of a West Midlands base for Hudgell Solicitors, specialists in personal injury and medical negligence. The firm already has four offices in Yorkshire – in Leeds and Hull – and is now opening a fifth at Cranmore Park in Solihull.

Under the Forum deal, high value public liability and medical negligence work will be transferred from Forum Law Ltd and one of Forum’s senior fee earners Kate Campbell-Gunn will also move to Hudgell Solicitors.

The deal is the latest expansion for Hudgell Solicitors which in recent months has purchased personal injury files from North Yorkshire-based Williamson Hill and the personal injury and clinical negligence caseload from former Peterborough-based Carters Solicitors. During 2011 Hudgell Solicitors also bought three other practices outright.

Managing Director Hudgell said: “This is a very exciting time for us indeed and we’re looking forward to the future. The move into the Midlands is part of our continued business growth strategy and in the coming months we’ll be looking for further acquisition opportunities.

“As well as taking on this new caseload, we’ve recently had an increase in Midlands-based clients and, with this latest acquisition from Forum, it makes sense to open a fifth office from which we will be able to serve them.”

Jeff Zindani, Forum Law managing partner, emphasised the transfer of the PI and Medical Negligence case load to Hudgell Solicitors is part of a restructuring of Forum Law.

Jeff Zindani said: “The sale is one of the outcomes of a pre-Jackson review of personal injury based work and a new focus on boutique legal services. A new business model is emerging at Forum and we realised we needed to transfer our PI and Medical Negligence caseload. Hudgell Solicitors is the ideal purchaser as the practice has national coverage and expertise.”

Hudgell Solicitors is interested in talking to any firm which wishes to sell individual files, caseloads or the entire practice and also to firms which may wish to partner with the firm. The website www.acquisition.hudgellsolicitors.co.uk has more details and outlines Hudgell Solicitors’ offer.