A FIRM has revealed ambitious expansion plans to create 10 more jobs after buying a Worcester city centre company.

Legal specialists Talbots Law, which has boosted its workforce to nearly 450 this year, completed its third acquisition in 12 months by purchasing solicitors' firm Scaiff LLP.

All 16 city staff are being retained with plans in place to recruit a further 10 solicitors and administrative employees over the next year as well as a significant investment in sympathetically refurbishing the grade two-listed offices on Foregate Street.

Dave Hodgetts, who joined Talbots Law as chief executive in 2021, said: “Whilst we’ve got offices in Kidderminster and Bewdley, we’ve never had a high-street presence in Worcester.

"This acquisition gives us an immediate footprint in a city and area rich in potential.

“Scaiff LLP has been operating here for more than 30 years and has a proven track record of offering family, personal injury, wills and probate and residential conveyancing services to local people.

“All this expertise is being retained and will be supplemented by the additional capacity and infrastructure we can offer and access to business services and dispute resolution legal advice.

“Annual fees are currently £1.2m and we expect these to increase to £2m by the end of 2024.”

The purchase of Scaiff LLP by Talbots Law follows that of Sarginsons in Coventry and Wright Solicitors with offices in Dudley and Bewdley.

The activity, combined with strong organic growth, has seen revenues rise from £22m to £24m in 2023 with a £30m target set for 2025.

This will be achieved by further deals in strategically-identified parts of the West Midlands and, longer-term, the possibility of moving into the east of the region.

Scaiff LLP managing partner Simon Shaw, who will stay on after the deal, said: “Talbots Law is one of the region’s fastest-growing law firms and shares the same commitment to personal service and a passion for helping local people that we do.

“Our existing clients will benefit from having access to a larger team and new legal specialisms that we haven’t been able to offer before.

"On the flip side, we are bringing considerable personal injury expertise to Talbots which I know is an area it is keen to grow in.”

The purchase was arranged by David Sparkes from independent mergers and acquisitions brokering specialist Millbourn Ross and was completed on January 2.