East coast legal companies to merge with Thorntons

The new company will retain the name Thorntons and operate from 11 locations across Scotland

Three major law firms are to merge, creating the largest legal practice in the east of Scotland.

Tayside legal giant Thorntons is to merge with leading Fife solicitors Murray Donald and Cupar legal firm Steel Eldridge Stewart later this year.

The new company, stretching across Angus, Tayside, Perthshire, Fife and Edinburgh, will retain the name Thorntons.

No jobs will be lost as part of the merger.

The new Thorntons will be one of the largest independent firms in Scotland, with 40 partners and more than 400 employees spread across 11 offices and property shops in Tayside, Fife and Edinburgh.

Jack Robertson, who will remain chairman of Thorntons after the merger, said the move was "a natural fit for all three businesses".

He said: "Bringing the three firms together will strengthen our position in the market and our full service legal offering will have a positive impact on our clients and the enlarged business.

"The three firms have leading and complementary property, family, private client, agricultural, court and commercial operations and together the new firm will have an even stronger presence in these sectors."

John Leith, a senior partner at Murray Donald, said the merger had been in the pipeline "for some time", adding that the companies "share common values and priorities".

Steel Eldridge Stewart will merge with Thorntons on 1 September, before Murray Donald joins them later in the year.