Dozens of job losses have been confirmed at national firm Simpson Millar as it rebuilds after a turbulent period under former owners.
The firm will make 91 roles redundant following a two-month consultation with staff. The redundancies are located across the firm’s offices and include 20 fee earners and 71 members of the back-office staff.
Simpson Millar was owned until last year by listed company Fairpoint before the latter entered administration, saying it could no longer manage rent costs.
The law firm has received a fresh cash injection of around £7m from new investor Doorway Capital in the last year, but cuts follow what has been described as ‘significant under-investment’ by Fairpoint.
Greg Cox, managing partner, said the firm needed to stabilise and therefore make 91 roles redundant. Of these, eight employees have been redeployed to new roles, with further consideration of six more positions.
Cox said: ‘We are very sorry to have lost valued colleagues as a result of this process and our immediate concern is to provide support and assistance to help them find alternative employment and to thank them for all they have done for the firm.’
The firm grew quickly under Fairpoint’s ownership, adding to its headcount through a number of mergers and spreading across nine offices in England and Wales.