Law firm confirm plans to close Wrexham office as part of wider ‘restructure’

Slater & Gordon have said they are looking to close their Wrexham and Chester offices ‘within a year’.

The Law Gazette has reported that the plans to close four offices in the UK are due to a business restructure.

The firm are proposing to shut offices in Wrexham, Chester, Milton Keynes and Preston. The Wrexham office on King Street and the Chester office have around 30 staff between them.

Staff were reportedly told on Monday about the plans and ‘efforts are being made to relocate employees to larger city centres’.

The Chester and Wrexham offices were inherited by the acquisition of Walker Smith Way and have around 30 staff between them – as we reported, the old Walker Smith Way office which came with the acquisition is due to be converted into flats.

The firm currently lists 30 locations on their website, with around 3,000 staff. Over the last few years staff numbers have been cut by around 1,000 and 10 locations have been closed.

In February 2012, Slater & Gordon acquired Russell Jones and Walker. Fentons, Pannone, Goodmans Law, Marrons, John Pickering and Partners, Flint Bishop’s claimant personal injury practice – and as in Wrexham, Walker Smith Way Legal.

Earlier this year the lenders of Slater & Gordon took control of the company in a recapitalisation move following a £570m loss revealed in August 2016.

Slater & Gordon also announced this week they had also ‘progressed plans’ to break off its UK operations to focus on its Australian business.

Slater & Gordon currently has UK offices in Birmingham, Cambridge, Cardiff, Chester, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Preston, Sheffield, Watford and of course Wrexham.