Simmons & Simmons has named the first two London partners who will relocate to Bristol to head up the firm's second UK arm.

The office, which is set for a September launch, will be led by City projects partner Richard Armitage and real estate partner Iain Macfarlane, alongside one more as yet unconfirmed partner who will head the local litigation team.

A number of London associates have also expressed an interest in relocating to the new office, despite facing a pay cut of up to one third. The firm is targeting a headcount of 15-20 lawyers for the launch, but expects to source the majority of staff in the Bristol market.

In contrast to Allen & Overy and Herbert Smith's recent Belfast 'near-shoring' ventures, Simmons has said the base will not act as a back-office support centre or be staffed with paralegals.

Macfarlane commented: "The new office will enable us to offer a wider range of alternatives for how we structure the work we provide to our institutional client base. The plan is that we will primarily provide support on work led from London but there is flexibility in the structure. It's about sourcing the right team for the particular job."

The firm is not expecting to make London redundancies as a result of the launch.

Simmons' partnership recently approved the firm's new three-year strategy, which has seen it set out an ambitious plan to boost profits and establish a high-performance culture. The firm has already cut or de-equitised around a dozen partners this year.