Law At Work acquires Aberdeen HR and employment law firm

Aberdeen-based HR and employment law firm, Empire, has been acquired by Law At Work (LAW).

This transaction, which follows LAW’s acquisition of Square Circle HRin 2016, will see the new firm boast close to 1,000 clients UK-wide, with a projected combined turnover of £5.5 million.

The new firm will have 70 staff across offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness.

Under the deal, Empire founder and chief executive officer Steve Cook, and current managing director PJ Chalmers, remain with the business, joining the LAW board as directors and shareholders in LAW.

New Group MD, Steve Cook from Empire, said: “‘We are two businesses which have known each other well for many years. We share the same aims and objectives: allowing clients to get on with growing their business, while we take their legal and compliance worries away.

“We are both already best in class but, through a combined offering, are now better placed than ever to set the standard others can only aspire to.”

Magnus Swanson from LAW, chairman of the new group, added: “It is a great opportunity for us to provide the best support for UK businesses to meet the rising challenges of legal compliance while having the certainty and transparency of fixed fees. From GDPR to tribunals and health & safety compliance, pressure on busy employers has never been greater.”

“The combination of the two businesses will enable both LAW and Empire clients to access new enhanced services. Businesses want advisors they can trust and this deal brings together two trusted advisers in their distinct markets to form the strongest consultancy in our field in Scotland.

The debt funding for this deal was provided by HSBC. The advisors on the deal have been David Beveridge of Macdonald Henderson and Neil Grimmond of Craig Corporate on behalf of LAW and David Rennie of Stronachs and Tom Faichnie of Hall Morrice on behalf of Empire.