Maclay Murray & Spens is set to cut up to 30 jobs after announcing a redundancy consultation with both legal and support staff at the firm.

Around half of the jobs at risk are fee-earning roles, with the firm's corporate and property practices set to be the most heavily affected areas.

All four of Maclay Murray's offices in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen are expected to see job cuts, although there will not be any fee-earner redundancies in Aberdeen.

The process has started today (5 June), and is expected to close between the end of the month and the beginning of July.

The cuts come after Maclays laid off two fee earners and four secretaries in its Glasgow private client team after a redundancy round at the firm last summer.

The firm is currently in the implementation phase of a strategic review, which began after the firm last year called off talks over a potential merger with Bond Pearce that could have created a £95m firm. Bond Pearce has subsequently merged with Dickinson Dees to create Bond Dickinson.

Maclay Murray chief executive Chris Smylie said: "The last few years have not only been difficult in economic terms but have also been a period of extraordinary change for the legal profession. Our focus on developing profitable areas and opportunities for future growth remains a key priority.

"Whilst we very much regret having to propose these redundancies, they are a necessary part of the implementation phase of our recent strategic review and will ensure the firm is better positioned to meet the challenges of the new legal market.

Smylie added that those affected would be offered an "enhanced redundancy package and outplacement support."

Maclay Murray last year saw the departure of a four-partner team to Bond Pearce's Aberdeen base, including the firm's oil and gas chief Uisdean Vass, while last summer the firm sold its fixed-fee employment law and health & safety consultancy Law At Work to the company's management for an undisclosed fee.

The news comes after a host of firms have announced redundancy consultations and job cuts in recent months. Last month it emerged that DWF has placed around 80 roles at risk across the UK, as the firm continues to restructure its business in the wake of its rapid recent growth.

Other firms to have recently made cuts include Berwin Leighton Paisner, which last month announced a redundancy programme that has placed 100 UK lawyer and secretarial jobs at risk, and Trowers & Hamlins, where seven employees have been made redundant.