This is the third merger of the summer for Moore Kingston Smith after securing a multimillion pound private equity investment from Waterland in June 2023 to drive an ambitious M&A programme. Unusually the deal allowed the firm to retain its limited liability partnership status.

Shipleys has 19 partners and over 150 staff who will join Moore Kingston Smith, including managing principal Steve Foster (pictured) who will continue to head up the business. The firm reported fee income of £17.9m for year end April 2023, with strong growth double digit growth at 15% and is ranked 56th in the Top 75 Firms survey.

The current Shipleys offices in London and Godalming will be retained, expanding the Surrey presence with the existing MKS office in Redhill.