Partners at Pitmans and Bircham Dyson Bell have overwhelmingly voted in favour of merging their two firms to create a 400-staff top 50 UK law firm. The merger will go live on 1 December, concluding a process that started with initial discussions in November 2017. The merged firm, BDB Pitmans, will be led by current Bircham Dyson Bell managing partner Andrew Smith and COO Mark Jones and will work out of offices in London, Southampton, Reading and Cambridge.

Bircham Dyson Bell has strong private wealth, infrastructure and corporate practices while Thames Valley-based Pitmans is recognised for its work in pensions-related disputes. The two firms saw a 3% drop in revenues in 2017 and it is hoped the £50 million combination will arrest that fall through enhanced client services and improved cost savings.