Maclay Murray & Spens reported to be in merger deal with Addleshaw Goddard

Scottish headquartered legal firm Maclay Murray & Spens has agreed a merger with international practice Addleshaw Goddard, according to the The Lawyer magazine.

It is reported today that talks took place over the summer and the deal, which would take effect on 1 May 2016, is now subject to a partnership vote. Neither firm has confirmed the position.

Addleshaw Goddard has UK offices in London, Leeds and Manchester, and also operates out of Doha, Dubai, Muscat, Hong Kong and Singapore. Last year's annual turnover was £192.5m compared with Maclays' £43.5m. Maclays has offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and London.

A spokesperson for Maclays said: “We do not comment on particular rumours or speculation. MMS keeps in touch with other firms on an ongoing basis and sometimes such discussions encompass the possibility of collaboration of some kind. Many of these conversations are exploratory and come to nothing. Should any such discussions develop into something more substantial, we would communicate that first to our teams and then our client base and the media.”