Redkite spreads its wings with another acquisition
ACARMARTHEN legal group that is rapidly expanding has made yet another acquisition. Redkite Solicitors, which has doubled its turnover in the last two years to £9m, has acquired Ledbury-based Orme & Slade.
The value of the deal has not been disclosed, but increases Redkite’s offices to 12 and its workforce to 185.
Based at Ledbury’s former Natwest Bank Chamber, the acquired firm, which employs 28, has been rebranded as Redkite Solicitors Incorporating Orme & Slade.
Redkite’s growth has helped create new jobs at the firm’s Spilman Street base in Carmarthen, which provides back-office and finance services.
The deal comes after Redkite
acquired Cardiff and Brecon-based firm Charles Crookes and Swanseabased Harris Arnold in 2017 and April this year respectively.
With a merger with Gloucestershire-based Phoenix Legal Group in late 2017, the firm now has offices in Brecon, Cardiff, Carmarthen, Dursley, Haverfordwest, Pembroke, Stonehouse, Stroud, Swansea, Tenby and Whitland.
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 & Slade is the perfect fit for us as we 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 more extensive range of legal services. We are delighted with the merger.
“We are also pleased that this expansion has resulted in more employment opportunities in Carmarthen, demonstrating our continued commitment to investing in our operations in Wales.”
Julie Sutherland, previously a director at Orme & Slade, is now lead partner for the Ledbury office at Redkite.
On the deal 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.”