History
In 2017, Gordon Dadds LLP became the second law firm to list on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange, raising £20 million, two years after Gateley became the first UK law firm to have an IPO.[12][13] The Legal Services Act of 2007, which went into force in 2012, had made it possible for non-lawyers to own or invest in law firms organised as "alternative business structures".[14] In 2018, Gordon Dadds acquired Metcalfes Solicitors in Bristol.[15]
In early 2019, Gordon Dadds LLP acquired the UK and Chinese businesses of Ince & Co for an estimated £21 million in consideration,[16] creating the largest publicly traded law firm in the UK based on revenue at the time, until DWF went public in March of that year.[17][18] Both Gordon Dadds and Ince & Co were well established in the field of insurance law.[19] Gordon Dadds was known for resolving large and complex disputes in the London and international markets,[19] and had a private client and family practice,[20] while Ince & Co was a network of international commercial law firms,[19] specialising in the shipping and insurance sectors,[21] as well as energy and aviation.[6]
Six months into the merger, the firm rebranded the name of most of its legal businesses, including most of its international offices, to "Ince";[5] only its private client business then in Mayfair retained the name "Gordon Dadds".[6] For its financial year 2020, the combined firm reported an 87% increase in revenue, followed by a slowdown in growth in subsequent years.[22] On 13 March 2022, the firm's IT team shut down its servers after detecting a cyber attack;[23] in April, it was granted an injunction to deter hackers from leaking its data online.[24]
In April 2023, Ince Gordon Dadds filed for administration while Donald Brown reportedly attempted to reclaim the firm.[25] Less than one month later, the firm was purchased by Axiom DWFM and operated under the former name "Ince & Co."[26] All former Ince employees were re-hired.[26]
