South: Blake Morgan strengthens teams with new merger

Blake Morgan, which has offices in Oxford, Reading, Southampton, Cardiff and London, is to further strengthen its teams by merging with a practice in London, Westminster-based firm Piper Smith Watton.

This will take effect on August 1, just over a year after Blake Morgan was created by the merger of Blake Lapthorn with Morgan Cole.

The merger will boost Blake Morgan’s national presence with the addition of 12 partners, taking the total number of partners to 130, and means the firm has a workforce of around 1,000 staff with an annual turnover of £78 million.

Piper Smith Watton brings particular additional expertise in the entrepreneurial private client and corporate markets and doubles the size of its real estate and litigation practices in London.

Walter Cha, managing partner of Blake Morgan, said: “This new merger provides us with the resources to handle larger, more complex work particularly for entrepreneurial private clients, to include commercial real estate and high-end residential property.

“Although the greatest impact of this merger will be felt in London, we are excited that the extra strength and depth of expertise that it brings to our teams and our clients will be felt in the Thames Valley and throughout the firm.”