Legal aid firm set to merge

A Bedfordshire-based legal aid firm has taken part in a merger - becoming one of the largest publicly funded criminal defence practices in the country.

Noble - with offices in Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Hertfordshire - merged with Wembley and Watford firm Tank Jowett on April 1.

The merged company, which will practise under the name Noble, will have a projected gross turnover of more than £12 million, of which £10million will derive from criminal legal aid work.

It will also carry out publicly funded civil work.

The organisation will have six directors - Paul Millan, David Noble, Baljit Tank, Simon Jowett, Rajesh Bhamm and Jas Kalirai.

The firm, with 130 members of staff across 11 offices, will have 111 fee earners, including 40 police station representatives covering 36 police stations and 33 higher court advocates.

Paul Millan founder of Noble Solicitors said: “It is well documented that these are challenging times for suppliers in the publically funded sector. While many other firms in this sector continue to swim in choppy waters, it is clear from the evolving market place, that it is now only a matter of time before the tide goes out.

“It will only then become apparent at that stage which of those firms will be able to make it safely back to the shore.”