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National law firm TLT has announced plans to launch new operations in Scotland and Northern Ireland to give the firm the capability to deliver legal advice from TLT offices in all three UK legal jurisdictions – England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

The move is intended to strengthen relationships with strategically important clients and help win new business and grow market share.

It is announced that to deliver services in Scotland, TLT is merging with well-respected Scottish law firm, Anderson Fyfe to create TLT Scotland Ltd. Anderson Fyfe is a £3million turnover law firm with eight partners, employing 45 people and with offices in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Both Anderson Fyfe and TLT have a strong focus on the financial services sector and have in common a number of financial services clients, all of whom have welcomed the plans. Over 40% of TLT's income is from its financial services clients, which include the major UK lenders and many international banks. Anderson Fyfe has a similar focus on financial services and is very successful in its primary niche area – financial services recoveries work – for which the firm is ranked in tier 1 within the Scottish market in the Legal 500 legal guide. 75% of Anderson Fyfe's practice is litigation, both volume and complex recoveries work, plus commercial, employment and other disputes. The balance of the practice is primarily in real estate.

The target date of completion is 1st July 2012 and it is anticipated that all Anderson Fyfe employees will become a part of TLT. Anderson Fyfe's Managing Partner, Tom McEntegart, will become TLT's Operational Managing Partner for TLT in Scotland.

The firm is also launching a separate practice in Northern Ireland, TLT NI LLP, which will focus initially on delivering litigation services to a number of the firm's existing financial services clients.

TLT NI LLP is based in the Scottish Provident Building on Donegall Square West, a landmark site opposite City Hall in Belfast. The Northern Ireland operations are being led by newly recruited partner Katharine Kimber, supported by a team of four locally recruited solicitors and paralegals.

Katharine joined TLT NI LLP as a partner from the banking litigation team of Northern Ireland firm Wilson Nesbitt Solicitors where she was responsible for advising leading banks and financial services organisations. Katharine has considerable experience managing professional negligence claims, mortgage repossession actions, insolvency matters, disputed debt recovery claims, as well as handling secured lending litigation and landlord and tenant work.

TLT's Managing Partner David Pester says, "The strategic rationale for establishing operations in both Scotland and Northern Ireland has been driven by clients in the financial services sector seeking a one-firm approach to the supply of litigation services for all jurisdictions in the UK. Combining the strengths and resources of Anderson Fyfe and TLT, and establishing operations in Northern Ireland, will extend our national presence, strengthen our relationships with many of our strategic clients, and help us win new business and grow market share. TLT has a clear strategy which positions us in the UK market as a national firm providing day-to-day legal support to UK and international businesses. We focus our time and investment on our chosen industry sectors and on our strategic clients."

Anderson Fyfe's Managing Partner, Tom McEntegart says, "This merger is a good strategic move by both firms to enhance our client service delivery, strengthen our relationships with clients, and to grow our market share. This is not growth for growth's sake, it is about achieving a level of scale whereby we can continue to compete successfully in the market. By combining our strengths and our resources, we strengthen our position in the legal market."

Following the launch of operations in Scotland and Northern Ireland, TLT will be one of only a handful of law firms able to deliver its litigation services to financial services clients from its own offices in all three jurisdictions. TLT will have a forecast turnover of £48million, 80 partners and will employ approximately 750 employees. The TLT group of businesses will have a UK-wide presence with offices in Bristol, London, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast.