The deal to transfer Hill Dickinson's £23m insurance business to Keoghs has completed, with 17 partners making the move to the Bolton-headquartered firm alongside 311 staff.

As well as adding headcount across Keoghs' London and Manchester offices, the deal has given Keoghs an office in Liverpool, where it sublets space from Hill Dickinson. In total Keoghs now has 1,740 people working across 12 offices, with the Hill Dickinson deal adding experience of professional indemnity, abuse and dispute resolution to the firm's insurance offering.

Talks between Hill Dickinson and Keoghs began in August 2017, with the transfer confirmed in October last year.

When the deal was announced, Keoghs CEO John Whittle said: "In the current climate of consolidation within insurance law, investment in people, technology and infrastructure are the key factors to enable success. Keoghs [is] at the forefront of driving market change and [we are] determined to put clear blue water between us and our competitors."

Hill Dickinson CEO Peter Jackson added: "I believe that our partners and staff involved in transferring to Keoghs will benefit from moving to a firm whose sole focus is insurance and which has invested heavily in infrastructure to service clients effectively and efficiently, both now and in the future."

At the time of announcing the discussions, Hill Dickinson said that the transfer would allow it to focus on "areas of future strategic growth", including marine, commercial and health.

Last year, Hill Dickinson held a round of unsuccessful merger talks with insurance and shipping firm Ince & Co, while a 24-person personal injury team left Hill Dickinson to join Kennedys as Hill Dickinson closed down its Sheffield office after the loss of a major client.

Photo credit: Chowells