Specialist London media firm Lee & Thompson LLP is to absorb boutique media and entertainment litigation firm Forbes Anderson Free in the latest example of mid-market consolidation.

Under the agreement, which comes into effect on 1 January 2016, Forbes Anderson Free’s four partners will move into Lee & Thompson’s West End offices bringing the total number of partners to 24. The combined firms will operate under the Lee & Thompson name.

Lee & Thompson said the move would create one of the largest contentious practices of its kind in the UK, with a total of seven partners and six associates handling contentious matters for the media and creative industries. 

Forbes Anderson Free is a boutique litigation and dispute resolution firm founded in 2001 and led by Andrew Forbes.

Forbes said: ‘We have been looking for the next exponential step in development of our practice. Lee & Thompson has a first-class reputation and client base, and we share a very similar culture, approach and vision.’