LAW firms Tods Murray and Fyfe Ireland are the latest to announce a merger in a further sign of the tough Scottish legal market.
Partners Greig Honeyman and Drew Taylor plus eight solicitors and six support staff from the smaller Fyfe Ireland are joining the enlarged practice.
The aim is to grow in the private client arena with the team there increasing in size by 30% with the incoming staff.
The firm will still be known as Tods Murray with offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow but will now have 35 partners and 188 fee earners.
It comes less than a week after McGrigors and Pinsent Masons announced that they were in advanced negotiations over what would be one of the biggest mergers seen in the Scottish legal sector.
David Dunsire, executive partner at Tods Murray, said: "We are delighted as we believe Fyfe Ireland will be a really good fit for our practice.
"In Greig, Drew and their Fyfe Ireland team, we have gained some of Scotland's best talent. A merger is not just defensive in this economic climate but is really about building for the future.
"You have to look at your business and how to make yourself more competitive then focus on growth areas.
"One of those growth areas for us is private client and we are looking to build on it with Fyfe Ireland.
"We are open to other opportunities further down the line providing they are right for our business."
Fyfe Ireland's staff will move from their office on Charlotte Square in the capital to the Tods Murray base at Fountainbridge by next Monday.
A statement on Fyfe Ireland's website said: "This proactive move has been carefully thought out and has not been undertaken lightly.
"We would wish to confirm to our clients and contacts that this merger gives us a major platform from which to serve effectively your individual needs in the future.
"Although we are moving forward under a different banner, the additional legal expertise and resource to which we will have access will only serve to enhance that commitment."
Mr Honeyman said: "By combining our strengths with those of Tods Murray and indeed bringing our clients to Tods Murray, we will have the ability to provide the fulsome and immediate response that is needed in a modern, and at the moment difficult, economy. This is an exciting move that will create a private client and family business team that aspires to lead the way in client engagement and technical standards."
Mr Taylor added: "By merging with Tods Murray, we can now give our clients a far greater level of service and our staff the best opportunities going forward."
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