Freeth Cartwright Hunt Dickins is to swallow up its smaller Nottingham neighbour – seven partner Bramleys – adding around 10 per cent to its turnover. Freeth Cartwright, already the largest law firm in Nottingham, will, from January 1, increase from 33 to 40 partners and from 137 total fee earners to around 150. Bramleys clients consist of “a number of significant businesses and high-quality private client work”, according to Freeth Carwright senior partner Ian Payne. Freeth chief executive Colin Flanagan said: “We are always on the lookout for opportunities to expand and we heard that Bramleys was looking to its future. Obviously there is a disparity in size and a lot of the systems will be ours but it is a merger rather than a takeover.” Bramleys managing partner Sue Miles, who will assume a senior management role in Freeth Cartwright, described the move as a “major step forward for our practice. Whilst we have a number of very good lawyers, we have limited resources for the investments in people and technology which are needed by law firms in this day and age.”