A north-west firm today confirmed it has become the latest practice to leave the QualitySolicitors stable.

Garratts, a five-office practice with 65 staff and eight partners, announced it will rebrand itself after leaving the national law firm network.

The change was prompted by the retirement of one of the partners (the firm was previously called Gruber Garratt) and signals the intent to focus more on marketing in the Greater Manchester area.

The departure is the latest in a series from QualitySolicitors, whose chief executive admitted in March it had grown too quickly in its four years in operation. In February, Norfolk firm Clapham & Collinge made a similar announcement. 

Garratts managing partner Stephen Garratt (pictured) said: ‘Quite simply, we want to focus on developing our own brand at a local rather than national level. Being masters of our own destiny means we’ll be able to service clients in a way we know they appreciate.’

Garratt said more thought has gone into its ‘corporate identity and strapline’, with a new logo featuring an abstract pair of wings to represent Jupiter, the god of justice.

‘[The logo] also symbolises our newfound freedom,’ added Garratt. ‘The look is modern yet friendly, which we know reflects our practice.

‘The strapline, "Your kind of legal practice" hints at the fact that we are a people to people firm, and will ensure we find the right team for each and every client.’

QS chief executive Eddie Ross told the Gazette in March that the number of firms in the network had fallen from 120 around two years ago to 100 in recent months.

Ross said QS had changed its relationship with member firms and given them greater freedom to run their business under the network brand.

The national advertising campaign had also been largely shelved in favour of more local marketing by member firms, with the aim of attracting as many firms as possible now abandoned.