National firms Knights and Fletchers have carved up Moore Barlow in a deal that has seen the South East firm split into two and taken over.
Knights, which confirmed this March that it was in talks over an acquisition, has reached a deal which will see it pay £27m for Moore Barlow’s commercial and private wealth operations – representing 70% of the firm’s total business, or £30m of revenue.
The deal will also add around 160 fee earners to the listed law firm, increasing its coverage across the south of the UK.
Meanwhile, Moore Barlow’s clinical negligence, personal injury and Court of Protection divisions are being acquired by Manchester-based firm Fletchers, with the latter joining EMG Solicitors, Fletchers’ specialist Court of Protection business.
Moore Barlow managing partner Ed Whittington said of the deal: ‘Following careful consideration by the partnership, we concluded that by partitioning the firm into two separate entities, it would allow both sides to meet their growth aspirations. Knights have an established presence across the region, a complementary service offering and a proven track record of investing in professional services businesses.’
Moore Barlow, which was formed by the merger of Moore Blatch and Barlow Robbins in 2020, posted revenues of £44.7m for 2025-26.
The firm has has nine Legal 500 Tier 1 rankings in the South East, including clinical negligence: claimant, contentious trusts, family, property litigation and personal injury.
It has around 180 lawyers and 60 partners across six locations: Richmond, Guildford, Woking, Southampton, Lymington and the City of London. Following the completion of the Knights deal – which is expected to complete on 1 November – it plans to consolidate the Woking and Guildford offices into one Guildford location and dispense with the City office.
For this deal, Winston Taylor and RSM advised Moore Barlow on the acquisition, while Knights turned to its in-house acquisition team.
Fletchers is also set to acquire Moore Barlow’s interest in Aspire Law, a joint venture with spinal cord charity Aspire.
Fletchers CEO Peter Haden said of the new team: ‘Their expertise will be a fantastic addition to Fletchers Solicitors and EMG, while also strengthening our presence across London and the South East. We’re looking forward to bringing our teams together, learning from one another and building on our combined strengths.’
Knights CEO David Beech (pictured top) added: ‘Moore Barlow is a strong cultural and operational fit with Knights. By combining its long-established regional reputation and talented people with our scale, broader capabilities and well-invested platform, we see a compelling opportunity to deliver further growth, enhance the service offered to clients and create more opportunities for our people.’
The deal is the latest in a long-running series of regional acquisitions by Knights as it continues to expand its footprint across the UK. In March 2025, the firm acquired IBB Law for an initial £21m, pushing its coverage into the Thames Valley.
Equally, Fletchers Group also has a history of acquiring specialist practices from other national firms. In May this year it took on Freeths’ clinical negligence and Court of Protection teams, following a similar deal to acquire Shoosmiths’ 80-strong serious injury practice last year.
