Jones Whyte acquires McClure Solicitors

Old-established Scottish law firm McClure Solicitors has been acquired by a firm founded only in 2013.

Jones Whyte LLP, with offices in Glasgow and Greenock, has taken over the goodwill, work in progress and certain assets of McClure Solicitors, established in 1853 in Greenock. The existing partners and staff, 84 people in total, transfer to Jones Whyte with immediate effect, joining the current teams working between the main offices in Glasgow and Greenock, and at home on flexible working practices. However the former McClures Solicitors 13 satellite offices, 11 of them in England, will close.

Jones Whyte founders Ross Jones and Greg Whyte set up the firm to focus on providing a flexible and responsive service to both personal and corporate clients, and have achieved substantial growth over the last eight years. McClure Solicitors specialised in private client work, and had expanded in recent years through its satellite offices, but faced operational difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in the firm being placed into administration. Its operating model will be adapted to the current Jones Whyte model.

"McClure Solicitors was a long standing, highly respected firm", Ross Jones and Greg Whyte commented, "and this acquisition will further strengthen our position at the forefront of the legal market. We very much welcome our new colleagues to the enlarged business, which now sits at over 170 people, and look forward to working with them to ensure all McClure Solicitors clients continue to receive excellent service. We have ambitious plans to grow Jones Whyte, and this deal is a major step in that direction."

Tom MacLennan, partner with FRP and joint administrator with Chad Griffin said: "We are delighted that Jones Whyte has agreed to acquire the assets, goodwill and work in progress of McClure Solicitors, thus ensuring continuity of client service, the preservation of employment and the safeguarding of client funds. We wish Jones Whyte every success with their plans and ambitions."