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Top legal firms announce merger

Our City Staff
Tuesday 12 October 1999 23:00 BST

LEGAL EAGLES at two of Britain's oldest law firms, Denton Hall and Wilde Sapte, have agreed to merge their practices.

LEGAL EAGLES at two of Britain's oldest law firms, Denton Hall and Wilde Sapte, have agreed to merge their practices.

The newly created legal firm is expected to operate as Denton Wilde Sapte from February next year.

The firm will share clients including banking heavyweight NatWest, the supermarket giant J Sainsbury, transport group Virgin plus a range of governments and agencies from across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Denton Wilde Sapte will have 200 partners and nearly 800 legal staff with offices in London, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

The combined practice's gross fees from clients are estimated to be worth around £130m a year, making it the ninth-largest law practice in the UK.

Denton Hall's chairman, James Dallas, will take on the same role at the newly merged group while Wilde Sapte's senior partner, Mark Andrews, will be his deputy.

Mr Dallas said: "The merger means we will be extremely well placed to fulfil our shared ambition of creating one of the world's premier law firms, building on the uniquely complementary strengths of the two firms."

In a joint statement, the companies said that Wilde Sapte's recognised strengths in banking and asset finance would complement Denton Hall's experience in the energy and media sectors.

Denton Hall, which was set up in 1788, also specialises in advising the rail industry, and includes the newly appointed rail industry regulator, Tom Winsor, among its former employees.

In August this year, it created headlines by suggesting that the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott's new Railways Bill could lead to a "creeping renationalisation" of Britain's railways.

Denton Hall also represented the Football Association Premier League in its recent successful legal battle against the Office of Fair Trading over broadcasting rights.

One of Wilde Sapte's legal landmarks was when it represented the receivers of the estate of late media baron Robert Maxwell in April this year in their successful battle to recover fees of £1.6m.

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