Mills & Reeve and Manchester law firm George Davies are set to vote on a potential merger later this month, paving the way for a combination that would create a firm worth £77m.

After months of talks, management at both firms are putting together a formal business case for the union, which they plan to present to their partners at the end of April. 

Based on 2011-12 results, the addition of George Davies would add more than £7m to Mills & Reeve's turnover of £69.4m, better securing its place in the UK top 50 rankings, where it last year placed 47th. 

According to its website, George Davies has 17 partners, so the merger would likely take Mills & Reeve's partnership past the 100 mark. 

Integration would be relatively straightforward as both firms currently occupy space in 1 New York Street in Manchester, on the eighth and ninth floors respectively. 

Mills & Reeve, which also has bases in Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds, London and Norwich, is a full-service firm while George Davies focuses on public sector and sports work.

Mills & Reeve managing partner Guy Hinchley (pictured) said: "Discussions are ongoing with the senior management team at George Davies. We have been working through the usual due diligence process and are finalising the business case to present to partners with a vote taking place later this month."

The merger talks are the latest example of mid-market consolidation sweeping through the legal profession, with Withers and Speechly Bircham recently confirming preliminary merger talks and Dickinson Dees' tie-up with Bond Pearce set to go live on 1 May.