In England’s oldest recorded town, three major law firms take radically different routes to survive
Colchester — Britain’s oldest recorded town — now stands at the crossroads of tradition and transformation. As the modern legal world surges forward with corporate takeovers and private equity ambitions, the town’s mid-sized law firms face a reckoning. Their responses reveal the sharp contrast in how local institutions attempt to future-proof their existence, with one vanishing entirely.
Take Birkett Long, a Colchester legal mainstay for over two centuries. The firm, once a symbol of independent longevity, will soon cease to exist under its own name. It sold this month to Knights, a listed legal juggernaut known for its appetite for acquisition. The price? £16.6 million.
Although Birkett Long had remained financially stable for years, cracks had begun to show. Net assets nearly halved over the past year, and while revenue rose, operating profit slumped. Knights, seeing an opening, swooped in with capital power and an offer few partners could resist.
Knights CEO David Beech didn’t mince words: “Without the constraints of independent ownership, and building on its growth in recent years, the acquisition will deliver further organic growth in the region.”
But the cost of this consolidation quickly became apparent. News emerged that Knights had placed support staff on notice for redundancy — a move that echoed similar tactics used in previous takeovers. The trusted local image of Birkett Long now risks being replaced by a faceless corporate silhouette. A spokesperson confirmed: “We assess all areas of a business during an acquisition… Birkett Long is no different, and there will be people we do not retain.”
Embed from Getty ImagesMeanwhile, Fisher Jones Greenwood chose a middle path. Founded in Colchester in 1983, the firm retained its name and local feel — but only by accepting private equity involvement. In 2022, it joined Lawfront, a group backed by Swedish investment firm Blixt. Unlike Knights, Lawfront promised not to subsume the firms it acquires but to let them keep their identity, for now.
Neil Lloyd, Lawfront’s chief executive, says that difference is critical. “Lawfront invests in the local brand, its people, and backs management teams to grow organically. Knights consolidate; we empower.”
Since the acquisition, Fisher Jones Greenwood has grown by over 30%, but its destiny is still tied to Lawfront’s long-term exit strategy. Whether the local ethos survives another ownership cycle remains uncertain.
One firm, though, has resisted the tide: Ellisons. Its offices sit in the heart of Colchester, across from the now-defunct Debenhams and steeped in community engagement, even sponsoring the town panto. It stands as the last of the big independents.
Guy Longhurst, managing partner, believes in loyalty to roots: “We’ve chosen a path that avoids disruption. Clients know who they’re working with and why. We’ve expanded steadily across the region while keeping our identity and values intact.”
While Ellison holds the line, for how long can such defiance last in a climate of ballooning costs and corporate pressure?
Colchester, once the capital of Roman Britain, finds itself in a different kind of empire-building struggle. The legal landscape in this ancient town is shifting — not with swords and shields, but with spreadsheets and shareholder demands. Whether these firms can maintain their values or become relics of a vanished age remains a question that cuts deep into the future of local law.
