Simpson Millar is a UK based law firm established in 1841. Initially a conveyancing firm based in the London Bridge area, Simpson Millar eventually went on to deal in multiple legal areas working over several offices across England and Wales. In 2014, the firm was acquired by the Fairpoint Group PLC, and subsequent to their collapse in 2017, secured a £5m funding facility from Doorway Capital. As of 2018, Doorway Capital became the new owners of Simpson Millar.
History
editSimpson Millar was founded by Henry Simpson in 1841, who was the firm’s first partner. In 1876 Charles Palmer joined the practice and the firm was renamed Simpson Palmer. Following this, the firm was again renamed to Simpson Palmer and Winder, and established its main location in The Borough, South of London bridge in SE1.
Robert Urquhart joined the firm as a partner in 1946, and would be responsible for developing the practice’s partnership with the union.
The early 20th century saw big changes for the firm, which would eventually acquire its present day name in 1978 following its merger with W R Millar and Sons. That same year, David Harrington joined the firm, adding to their list of partners.
In 1980, Simpson Millar received a massive amount of Personal Injury work courtesy of the union. This was instrumental in transforming Simpson Millar from a sleepy, old fashioned conveyancing firm in London to a nationally recognised firm known across the UK.
Simpson Millar expanded out of London in 1991, opening an office in Leeds in order to service the union clients in the north of England. They would eventually re-locate their head office to Leeds.
Simpson Millar was acquired by the Fairpoint Group PLC in 2014. In line with the Fairpoint Group strategy, Simpson Millar acquired Colemans-CTTS in August 2015. Colemans provided Simpson Millar with a class leading platform for the provision of Volume Legal Services.
Following the 2017 collapse of the Fairpoint Group, Simpson Millar secured a £5m funding facility from Doorway Capital, an investment house. Because of this, Simpson Millar was able to continue trading independently. Doorway Capital then became the new owners of the firm in 2018.
Accreditations
editSimpson Millar hold many wide-ranging accreditations within the field of law. Most notably, they are highly recognised by The Law Society. Accreditations such as these help UK law firms to stand out amongst their competition, and serve as a recognised benchmark to define which practices offer the best specialised services.
Chambers and Partners 2017
In 2017 Simpson Millar received recognition from Chambers and Partners, as well as in previous years. Chambers and Partners is a leading industry guide which ranks the most outstanding law firms across the world. In 2016, Chambers and Partners praised Simpson Millar as “Impressive and skilful lawyers".
Legal 500 2017
The Legal 500 provides a comprehensive worldwide client's guide to the best law firms and legal professionals. In 2017, Simpson Millar was recommended in 18 practice areas in the most recent guide, with many of their solicitors being recognised as "leading lawyers".
Offices
editSimpson Millar is a nationally established law firm with offices across England and Wales. They have offices in: Bristol, Cardiff, Kingston-Upon-Thames, Lancaster, Leeds, London, Manchester and Wimbledon.