DAC Beachcroft and Andersons Solicitors have sealed a joint venture that will see the Scots firm rebrand as DAC Beachcroft Scotland.

The 11-partner boutique, which specialises in insurance litigation and dispute resolution work, has offices in Glasgow and Edinburgh and around 40 fee earners spread between the two cities.

DAC Beachcroft managing partner Paul Murray (pictured) commented: "The move will enable us to provide our insurance clients with an even more distinctive, full-service offering while also allowing us to service our growing corporate client base, many of which have operations north of the border.

Andersons, which also handles private client and family law, was established in 1994 and is led by chairman Gilbert Anderson, managing partner Frank Hughes and chief executive Fiona Hennen.

The venture has yet to be approved by regulators, but the firms share several key clients and sit together on the legal panels of a number of major insurers.

The latest tie-up comes after last November's merger of Davies Arnold Cooper and Beachcroft, which created a firm with combined turnover in excess of £175m and around 230 partners.

The firm recently moved into new London office space in the wake of the merger, with the combined firm vacating four of its buildings in the capital.

Scotland's law firms have been the subject of a number of merger moves in recent times, with Dundas & Wilson last year holding unsuccessful discussions with London practice Bircham Dyson Bell.

In February, McGrigors, one of Dundas' key rivals, agreed a takeover by Pinsent Masons, creating a national practice with revenues of around £280m.

Elsewhere, Maclay Murray & Spens and southwest firm Bond Pearce recently called off talks over a merger that would have created a firm just outside the UK top 30 with turnover of around £95m.