Scottish law firm Aberdein Considine has agreed a deal which allows it to deliver legal services across the UK.
The “long-term collaboration” with Northern Irish firm Wilson Nesbitt means Aberdeen-based Aberdein Considine has market access for its debt and asset recovery, litigation and conveyancing services in all three UK legal jurisdictions.
It follows the partnership’s acquisition of Newcastle practice Wallers Solicitors last year.
That deal gave Aberdein Considine, which also has offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth and Stirling, its first foothold in the substantial English and Welsh legal markets.
It said its UK-wide expansion was driven by its work with banks and other lenders.
Rob Aberdein, UK partner in charge of lender services at the firm, added: “We are delighted to be partnering with Wilson Nesbitt, which is a leading litigation practice and specialist in recoveries in Northern Ireland.
“We already act for some of the UK’s biggest lenders in Scotland.
“This deal brings our customer, compliance and regulatory-focused debt and asset recovery and conveyancing services into the entire UK legal market for the first time.”
The firm’s English and Welsh operation, based in Newcastle’s historic Cloth Market area, is led by former HL Interactive chief executive Matt Wightman.
He is being joined by commercial litigator Thomas Lillie, who has left Bond Dickinson to become a partner at Aberdein Considine.
Mr Lillie will have responsibility for professional negligence, non-standard litigation, in-house legal department support and commercial/business recoveries south of the border.
Aberdein Considine also announced a formal partnership with Bedford-based CILEx Law School, which is due to open a Newcastle campus in September.