Acuity Legal merges with London-based firm Maple & Black
THE commercial law firm Acuity Legal has merged with the London based Maple & Black.
Specialists in corporate, finance and property law, Maple & Black was established in 2011 by Edward Finley, who now joins Acuity Legal as a partner and shareholder. A further seven lawyers also join Acuity. Clients of Maple & Black include MADE.com and notonthehighstreet.com.
The firm, which has a team of 75 lawyers and support staff in Cardiff, Swansea and now London, last year advised on over 100 UK-based transactions with an aggregate value of over £1.5bn.
Clients include Capita Group, Sony and 118 118, and recent deals have involved international and cross-border transactions in Germany, North America and China.
Acuity Legal chairman Steve Berry said: “Significant growth over the last few years has given us a solid platform for future expansion. With an enviable client portfolio and a team of top-quality lawyers, Maple & Black gives us a fantastic base in Soho and, most importantly, the opportunity to further develop our unique model in London and across the UK legal sector.
“The team at Maple & Black are renowned for their dynamic, agile and innovative approach to corporate, finance and property law. Like us, they do things a bit differently from most firms and they share our entrepreneurial approach and open culture.
“Our combined firm offers a unique hybrid consultancy model for talented lawyers who want full backoffice support without the restraints of traditional employment.”
Ed Finley, of Maple & Black, added: “Maple & Black has never been your typical City firm. Indeed, as ex-City lawyers, we have always strived to avoid unnecessary complexity and rigidity.
“At a time when the legal profession is changing, we’ve built our business by being transparent, flexible and collaborative. Acuity is the perfect fit with their expertise, ethos and culture that encourages fairness and opportunity. The merger gives us real strength and depth whilst also creating some very exciting opportunities for talented individuals disaffected by the culture of traditional law firms to join our team.”