DWF shares surge 40 per cent amid takeover talks with private equity firm July 10, 2023 Shares in legal services outfit DWF rocketed today after the firm revealed it was in talks with London-based Inflexion Private Equity Partners regarding a possible buyout. In a statement to the London Stock Exchange, DWF said it was in talks for a deal worth about £342m. Shares in DWF soared as much as 40 per [...]
Former Pru CEO and board veteran Jonathan Bloomer to become chair of Hiscox May 30, 2023 Jonathan Bloomer, the current chair of Morgan Stanley International and law firm DWF, will add the top boardroom chair at Hiscox to his portfolio next month. Hiscox, the Bermuda-headquartered insurance giant, announced Bloomer’s appointment as chair designate this morning. He will replace Robert Childs, who will retire over the summer. Bloomer was a partner at [...]
“Robust” trading for listed law firm DWF as Canada transaction set to pay off May 30, 2023 Listed legal and business services firm DWF has this morning delivered an upbeat full-year update to markets, with 8 per cent revenue growth headlining what CEO Sir Nigel Knowles described as a “robust” performance. Revenues are expected to sit around £380m on the year when the company produces its audited full-year results. DWF also said [...]
Barton to replace Meehan as Victorian Plumbing finance chief February 7, 2023 Victorian Plumbing Group’s finance chief, Paul Meehan, has told the board he will be stepping down from his role at the end of March in order to pursue other opportunities. Meehan will be replaced by Daniel Barton, currently the group’s director of finance. Barton will be appointed to the board on 1 April. Barton joined [...]
Is this the end of law firm IPOs? January 30, 2023 British law firms have traditionally stayed away from public markets. Yet following a series of IPOs over the past eight years, there are now six UK law firms listed on the stock exchange. Gateley became the first UK law firm to launch an IPO in 2015 after floating on London’s alternative investment market (AIM). In [...]
Big Four’s legal ventures could see surge in law firm IPOs, DWF chief says December 8, 2022 The Big Four’s efforts to bolster their legal businesses could lead to a surge in the number of UK law firms listing on the stock exchange, DWF chief Sir Nigel Knowles told City A.M. EY’s global split could see the firm become an “aggressive” legal services behemoth, as it is freed from the conflict-of-interest rules [...]
Law firm DWF pushes into Canadian market with latest buyout November 7, 2022 Law firm DWF has stepped into the Canadian legal market with a £27.7m deal bringing Vancouver-based Whitelaw Training under its wing. The deal marks the next step in DWF’s North American strategy and will unlock legal and business potential in Canada. The London-listed firm will hand over up to £16.9m in shares and cash, and [...]
DWF launches menopause policy in bid to tackle legal sector’s staffing crisis November 1, 2022 DWF has launched a new firm-wide policy to support women going through the menopause, as it seeks to boost its retainment of staff in the face of an exodus of older women from the UK’s workforce. The UK law firm’s policy seeks to support DWF employees going through the menopause with a view to raising [...]
DWF bolsters offerings through acquisition of specialist cost-cutting firm Acumension September 8, 2022 London listed law firm DWF has acquired a specialist cost cutting company Acumension as it continues to expand its services offerings. The deal will see the law firm almost double the size of its DWF Costs business by taking on board Acumension’s 47 cost reduction specialists. DWF Costs, one of the UK’s largest legal cost [...]
The Big Four’s legal ventures should worry mid-tier law firms August 26, 2022 THE BIG Four’s first forays into the legal sector in the 1990s ended in abject failure. Yet over the past decade, the world’s four biggest accounting firms have captured a significant share of the UK’s market for legal services, and have increasingly begun to compete with traditional firms. Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC have used [...]