Royds - a long-standing Member of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce and a founding member of the international network of independent law firms interleges – has merged with UK Top 100 law firm, Withy King.
The newly-merged firm, which now trades as Royds Withy King, will retain Royds' large office near St. Paul's Cathedral in central London as well as Withy King's well-established network of offices in the South and West of England. Royds Withy King employs 450 people and is projected to generate revenues of approximately £33m in this financial year.
"Stockholm is establishing itself as a hotbed of entrepreneurial talent and its technology businesses are gaining international attention. With many Swedish companies now looking to London for investment, expansion and other business opportunities, we are delighted to be able to announce our merger which will add further depth to the wide range of legal services we already offer our international clients," says Claus Andersen, a partner in the Corporate and Commercial team at the firm, who is based in London but frequently works in Sweden and Denmark.
According to Graham Street, Managing Partner of Royds Withy King, this merger between Royds and Withy King signals the start of an exciting new chapter.
"We will see Royds Withy King establish itself as a sustainable UK Top 100 law firm with a regional, national and international client base. While it will be very much business as usual for many of our clients, there are others who will be looking forward to accessing the enhanced services and new opportunities which the merger will bring. Royds and Withy King have complementary strengths and share a similar client ethos, vision and culture, making them a really good fit," he told the LINK.
"By retaining the names of both firms, our aim is to protect and build on the goodwill which Royds and Withy King have built up over many years, and through the combination, provide clients with an even better offering. This includes access to enhanced services, greater choice and a wider geographical reach".
Stewart Wilkinson, former managing partner at Royds, and now a partner at Royds Withy King, believes that the merger will bring considerable benefits to clients of both firms.
"We welcome joining forces with Withy King and look forward to sharing in the continued success of the merged firm Royds Withy King," he says.
Royds was attracted to Withy King as a full service law firm with robust commercial, private client, personal injury and clinical negligence practices, and a turnover of over £24.4m. The firm has expanded rapidly over the last five years, largely as a result of organic growth, boosted by small, strategic mergers. Withy King is ranked 45th in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2016 and entered The Lawyer UK Top 100 for the first time in 2015. It is also highly rated by the Legal 500, the UK's leading independent guide to the law, achieving top-tier rankings in six different practice areas in the latest edition.
Royds on the other hand has a strong national and international client base and is particularly well known for its retail property, commercial litigation, commercial, banking, employment, family and private client practices.