Insider Media Limited

1 November 2010. End of one era and start of another. Berryman, a firm I’ve lived and breathed for 30 years, has merged with Shakespeare Putsman of Birmingham. How have we got here?

The Clementi Review has been the catalyst for unprecedented changes in the legal services profession. With the legal market to be opened up to non-lawyers in the delivery of certain legal services for clients, law firms have been forced to take a long, hard look at their own delivery of specialist legal services, and consider how they can differentiate from the enormous competition in the market. Nowhere is this more true than right here in the Midlands, where we have a number of legal heavyweights, as well a high number of smaller, private practice firms.

After this review, then came the global downturn, which without doubt has been a very challenging period for business and commerce generally - the crash was underway, the economy in the UK and globally had been suffering for some time, the recession was continuing to bite, the collapse of Lehmans, nose-diving pensions, including my own… and many law firms, as did many businesses, really had to consolidate focus on what to do next. Doubtless this period has represented amongst the most unpleasant and difficult time for many businesses, and Berryman was no exception.

In reality, we knew months before we acted what had to be done but, we weren’t used to having to take really hard decisions - particularly when it came to our staff’s livelihoods.

We were fundamentally confident about our position throughout. Berryman has long had a strategy of regional growth, to build on the firm’s excellent reputation as a dynamic, regional firm, with a high calibre staff and a portfolio of quality regional and national clients. But we realised, the mid-tier sector in which we sat was getting squeezed and that position wasn’t going to improve.

Then along came Shakespeare Putsman.

Early in the merger process, we were invited to their partner conference. It was a good idea. Meeting prospective partners early on made us both realise we had a lot in common.

Shakespeare Putsman’s strategy and values are closely aligned to ours, making the merger for the two firms a natural fit that provides Berryman with the opportunity to achieve its goals and create a Midlands-wide firm strongly positioned to meet the challenges of the changing legal services market.

Importantly, clients and professional contacts have responded extremely positively to the merger, saying they believe it has in fact breathed a new lease of life into our firm, and the market.

With just a few weeks passing since the merger completed, we are already seeing the benefits of being a truly Midlands firm.

For me as a lawyer, the opportunities are already opening up - I have taken on a new, large construction case working with colleagues from across the region - a good example of the benefits of cross-site integration of expertise and effort.

So, the new era for Berryman, Shakespeare Putsman and indeed the Midlands legal services market has dawned. Indulging myself on a personal level, after more than 30 years with Berryman, the last 12 months and particularly the merger with Shakespeare Putsman has given me a real sense of achievement. I know that with my fellow partners and the whole team at the new firm, we have taken a very positive step in the next, exciting, stage of its journey. It’s a good place to be.

Richard Brackenbury was chairman of Berryman for 30 years and is now a partner and a member of the management board of the newly merged firm