Pennington Manches London office

U.K. top 50 law firm Penningtons Manches and shipping boutique Thomas Cooper have agreed to merge to create a £90m outfit.

The new firm will be called Penningtons Manches Cooper and will officially launch next month (July 1).

Penningtons Manches CEO David Raine will lead the combined firm, which will have offices across London, Paris, Madrid, Piraeus, Singapore, San Francisco and Sao Paulo, and a total combined workforce of 870, including 141 partners – 26 of which are joining from Thomas Cooper.

Thomas Cooper senior partner Tim Kelleher said in a statement: "By joining forces, our clients will benefit from a wider service offering, both in the UK and internationally.

"Following the merger, we'll be able to utilise the increased resources and turnover, as well as Penningtons Manches' more advanced operational structure, to help facilitate further growth and innovation."

Penningtons Manches launched following the merger of legacy firms Penningtons and Manches six years ago.

Last year, City law firm Bircham Dyson Bell (BDB) merged with Thames Valley outfit Pitmans to create a business worth more than £50m.

The newly merged firm BDB Pitmans moved to an alternative business structure, which allows it to bring non-lawyers into the equity and share profits.