Mon, 17 Nov 2025 | BUSINESS SALE
A legal services group based in the East Midlands has expanded its operations with the acquisition of a property law firm. Nelsons described the acquisition of Derby-based Simpson Jones as an opportunity to enhance its client offering.
Simpson Jones, which was founded in 2010 by Joanne Jones, specialises in residential conveyancing, as well as advising on commercial property and wills and probate. Since it was established, the company has completed thousands of property transactions.
Discussing the acquisition by Nelsons, Joanne Jones said that this “felt like the right time to look at the future”, adding: "An opportunity came up to explore becoming part of Nelsons, and having worked with them over the years, it quickly became clear that their culture, values and commitment to client care aligned perfectly with ours.”
Jones added that joining East Midlands-headquartered Nelsons would enable the firm to maintain its local roots while offering “even greater support to our current clients and employees” due to the greater resources the group can provide.
The deal continues a period of acquisitive growth for Nelsons, which is itself part of national legal services group Lawfront, following its acquisition of Burton-based Else Solicitors in January 2025.
Nelsons Chief Executive Stewart Vandermark said: "With the legal market consolidating and Nelsons' ongoing plan to grow throughout the region, we saw this acquisition as an opportunity to further enhance our client offering.”
"Simpson Jones is a well-established name in the Derby conveyancing market; it was clear from the start there was alignment of culture and values between our firms and that together we would be stronger.”
Neil Lloyd, Lawfront CEO, commented: "Lawfront brings its expertise and resources to help to achieve the growth ambitions of our firms’ leadership teams. The Simpson Jones acquisition by Nelsons is a great example of this strategy in action.”
In the 10-month period to March 31 2024, Nelsons Solicitors Limited reported turnover of £20.5 million, compared to around £21.8 million in the year to May 31 2023, while pre-tax profits dipped from £4.6 million to approximately £2.2 million.
Find out more about Lawfront's acquisition model in this exclusive interview with CEO Neil Lloyd and COO Axel Koelsch
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