Midlands firm Martineau and London's Sprecher Grier Halberstan (SGH) have unveiled the leadership of the combined firm as it today (1 December) merges to create a £30m practice.

All employees of Martineau and SGH will join the new firm, SGH Martineau, which will be a top 70 UK law practice with turnover of more than £30m. The firm has more than 200 fee earners, including 62 partners.

SGH Martineau has offices in Birmingham and two in London, with all lawyers and support staff operating out of Martineau's New Bridge Street office in London set to relocate to SGH's base at 1 America Square.

Martineau head Andrew Whitehead remains senior partner of the combined firm with Martineau managing partner Bill Barker also assuming the role as overall managing partner. SGH managing partner Emma Shipp and litigation head David Bailey will join the unified firm's executive board.

The 44-partner Midlands practice Martineau is the larger suitor in the union. The London firm, which was founded in 1984, is best known for insolvency, real estate and professional negligence work.

The deal will substantially increase the size of Martineau's four-partner London arm. Martineau's sector focus includes energy, banking, investment funds, education, private wealth, industry and marketing.

Barker commented: "Martineau and SGH are a complementary fit, sharing the same vision and commitment to excellent client service. We're confident that both existing and new clients will be able to take full advantage of the new capabilities offered by SGH Martineau."

Last month Martineau announced that it was opening in Brussels as part of a strategic collaboration with German law firm Becker Buettner Held.

The news comes as the merger between Solihull-based firm Wood Glaister and top 80 UK firm Shakespeares also goes live today. Shakespeares, which has revenues of around £28m, has five offices across the Midlands and around 420 staff, while Wood Glaister employs 55 staff.