Thomas Cooper is known for its work in shipping, international trade and international arbitration, complementing the firm’s existing areas of expertise. Penningtons Manches Cooper, the integrated business, will have a combined turnover of over £90 million. For Cambridge, the merger will provide opportunities to access the key international technology hubs in Singapore, Paris and Madrid – together with the increasingly emerging Sao Paulo market.
The merger follows on from Penningtons Manches’ successfully establishing an office in San Francisco in 2014, which continues to bring significant benefits to the Cambridge office and its clients through both the opportunities this enables us to offer our existing clients on the West coast, as well as inward investment into the UK. The additional strategic locations created by this new merger will provide the potential to further develop a global client base and ensure continued access to Europe in the post Brexit era.
The merger is the firm’s first major transaction since Penningtons and Manches joined forces in 2013, a deal which is considered one of the most successful mid-sized law firm mergers in recent years.
Commenting on the merger, Cambridge partner Helen Drayton said: “This is very exciting move for the firm and the team here in Cambridge. Our international mind-set has always been a big attraction for our clients, with our office in San Francisco already giving us a unique offering here. The access we now have to the major tech hubs in Singapore and Paris along with their skilled teams in a range of areas will enhance what we can offer our clients even further.”
Penningtons Manches Cooper is a top 50 UK law firm with offices in the City of London, Basingstoke, Cambridge, Guildford, Oxford, Reading and a growing overseas network stretching from Asia to America including Singapore, Piraeus, Paris, Madrid, Sao Paulo and San Francisco. With 141 partners and over 850 people in total, the firm’s main areas of practice are dispute resolution, corporate and commercial, real estate, private client and family. Its multi-disciplinary teams are active in a variety of industry sectors, including private wealth, shipping, technology and property. Its lawyers are also recognised for their expertise in life sciences, education, retail, sports and entertainment and international trade. The firm is the founder member of the European Law Group, an association of European law firms, and a member of Multilaw, an association of 73 firms in 60 countries worldwide.