St. Albans headquartered Rayden Solicitors (Raydens) has been acquired by Fletchers Group; best know for it serious injury and clinical negligence operations, marking the first time the organisation has ventured into a new area of legal services.
Founded in 2005, Raydens has grown to become to the second largest family law firm, behind Stowe Family Law, with offices across Buckinghamshire, Essex, Central London, and Birmingham with 113 staff. Raydens will retain its name, offices and leadership team, with founder Katherine Rayden joining the Fletchers Group Executive Committee.
The acquisition represents an ‘alignment of vision’ said Rayden:
“This is a fantastic opportunity for us; we are delighted to be joining forces with Fletchers Group. This acquisition will benefit both our colleagues and our clients, whilst retaining our trusted Raydens brand. We will have access to more resources and support in all areas of the business, helping us to accelerate our growth plans and thereby augmenting our capabilities and our offering to clients.
“We share the same values as Fletchers – a commitment to providing the best possible results for our clients, based on industry-leading expertise and first-class client care. This acquisition is the natural next stage in the growth of Rayden Solicitors.”
The acquisition is Fletchers Group’s tenth in the last four years and follows the addition of Scott Rees and Shoosmiths’ Serious Injury practice earlier this year which provided a foothold to expand into Birmingham, Northampton, and the Thames Valley – part of efforts to build a nationwide presence said the group.
But it represents their first foray into the family law market. Peter Haden, CEO of Fletchers Group, said:
“Our strategy is clear: to invest in brilliant specialist firms and help them grow more quickly, help more clients, and strengthen their organisation. We’re keen to apply the same successful approach to Raydens as we have in our Serious Injury and Clinical Negligence practice, moving at pace to build a national leader in Family Law through a mix of organic and inorganic growth.
“Our experience in scaling up specialist legal practices gives us a strong platform to support Raydens’ next stage of growth, drawing on our expertise in marketing, client service, people development, and the use of technology and AI to improve efficiency and deliver exceptional outcomes for clients.
“Katherine has built a fantastic business. With Fletchers Group’s investment and infrastructure, we can give her and her team the backing to accelerate their national growth plan, strengthen their market presence, and lead consolidation in Family Law.”
Rayden Solicitors were advised by Polestar Corporate Finance team and Culbert Ellis. Charles Whelan, Partner at Polestar Corporate Finance added:
“Katherine and her team have built a market leading business and have ambitious plans to extend Rayden’s offering across the UK. Following a discreet process Fletchers were chosen as the most appropriate partner to help deliver on the teams’ ambitions as there is a strong alignment in both organisations’ cultural values and a shared desire to deliver the highest quality advice in their chosen fields.”
