BLP has restructured its Managed Legal Services (MLS) division following a number of departures and the appointment of a new relationship manager for key client Thames Water.

Thames relationship partner Patrick Somers, who joined BLP in 2005, left in March this year and has been replaced by corporate partner Keith Stella, while MLS chief executive Andrew MacNaughton, who was brought in last year to look at options to grow the division, has also left the firm.

Former Fujitsu director MacNaughton was hired as chief exec last year as BLP put together a new business plan for the MLS division, which sees the firm take over the legal capability of a company for a fixed price and bring the existing in-house team under its employment.

However, the firm has now decided that rather than pitching for new business, MLS will focus on improving its existing relationship with Thames. The firm has also made one member of staff redundant in its London team managing service delivery.

The firm struck the five-year, £5m deal with Thames in March 2010, which saw it take on 13 of the utility company's in-house legal team and three administrative staff to carry out all of its legal work.

The initial plan was to sign up to two more clients over the first nine months, targeting large corporates, regulated industries and government organisations.

The firm came close to securing a second MLS client at the end of 2010 with IT company Colt; however, the deal fell through at the last minute with the work subsequently handed to Greenberg Traurig Maher. A proposed deal with Yorkshire Water was also called off this January.

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