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Merger and acquisition talks are rife among law firms, although there is little evidence of many making it through to a deal, new research has suggested. According to the survey by NatWest, 62% of firms had received or made approaches in the past year.

A recent BDO survey suggested that 60% of all law firms expect to have merger talks in the next three years, 30% of these in the next 12 months, with more than a third actually expect to merge within three years. Perhaps this is not entirely surprising given the state of the economy, clients demanding more for less, increasing competition from new ABS entrants, the fact that the average age of a male partner is reckoned to be 58, and that most law firms have not given serious thought to succession let alone put any detailed succession plans in place.

The reshaping of the personal injury market ahead of the Jackson reforms continued apace today as leading Manchester firm Antony Hodari acquired a direct marketing capability by buying well-known brand Paul Rooney Partnership.

There is a much higher chance of merger among mid-sized law firms than small practices in the coming year but the well of good merger partners is far from bottomless, new research has found. The survey found that most had thought about merger in recent months.

Merger activity among the country’s top firms is likely to increase as they grapple with both the Legal Services Act and a stagnant economy, leading accountancy firm Deloitte has predicted.