Knights expands across the South East with acquisition of Moore Barlow's commercial and private wealth business

 Knights has announced the acquisition of the commercial and private wealth business of Moore Barlow, further strengthening its presence across the South East regions and expanding access to legal and professional services for businesses, families and individuals. 

The announcement follows Knights' acquisition of THP Solicitors, announced earlier this week, and continues the business's investment in key growth regions across the South of England. 

The acquisition will bring more than 160 legal professionals to Knights, significantly enhancing its capability across a number of key markets and areas of expertise. 

Moore Barlow has a strong reputation throughout the South East, with specialists in Corporate, Dispute Resolution, Real Estate, Private Wealth and Landed Estates, as well as the Education and Charities sectors, and will give Knights a presence in Guildford, Lymington, Richmond and Southampton. The acquisition will bring together deep local relationships and specialist expertise with the scale, resources and broader capabilities of a national business. 

The transaction continues Knights' strategy of investing in high-quality regional businesses and providing clients with access to a broader range of services whilst retaining the local knowledge and trusted relationships that remain central to successful professional advice. 

Clients will continue to work with the people they know and trust. As part of Knights, those relationships will be strengthened through access to a wider range of legal and professional services specialists across the UK, providing additional expertise and support whenever required. 

"Moore Barlow has a strong reputation across the South East and we are pleased to welcome them to Knights.

"These are attractive markets where we continue to see significant opportunity. By bringing together Moore Barlow's established client relationships and specialist expertise with the breadth of our national platform, we will be able to support even more clients whilst creating new opportunities for clients and our colleagues.

"This is our second acquisition announcement this week and reflects the momentum we continue to see across the business. The Lawyer recently recognised Knights as the fastest-growing business in the UK Top 50 rankings, taking us into the top 40 for the first time. The acquisition of Moore Barlow demonstrates our continued commitment to building the legal and professional services business of choice across the UK's regions." 

The acquisition broadens Knights' capability in a number of complementary markets and reflects its continued investment across Southern England, following recent expansion in the Thames Valley, Essex, Kent and Sussex. 

"Over the past five years, Moore Barlow has built a strong commercial and private client practice across the South East, supported by exceptional colleagues and long-standing client relationships.

"Following careful consideration by the partnership, we concluded that by partitioning the firm into two separate entities, it would allow both sides to meet their growth aspirations. Knights have an established presence across the region, a complementary service offering and a proven track record of investing in professional services businesses."

Under the terms of the acquisition, Knights will acquire Moore Barlow's commercial and private wealth business, following the separate disposal of its Personal Injury, Clinical Negligence and Court of Protection business. Completion is expected on 1 November 2026.