TLT

TLT was born in 2000 out of the combination of two Bristolian firms – Trumps (no relation) and the larger Lawrence Tucketts. The merger created what was essentially Bristol’s ‘third firm’ – at that time, Burges Salmon and Osborne Clarke were the undisputed kings of the city.

TLT, however, soon set its sights beyond the South West. Its stated ambition was to become a UK top 50 UK by 2008 – if it didn’t quite make this lofty target on schedule it certainly shot up the revenue rankings in impressive fashion during the 2000s.

After a period of bedding in the merger, in 2005 TLT acquired a banking and financial services firm, Lawrence Jones, to establish a London office, then bulked it up with the addition of shipping practice Constant & Constant in 2007.

Further expansion was halted by the recession, but TLT got going again in 2012, opening a Belfast office and merging with Scotland’s Anderson Fyfe to give it offices in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Along with the opening of Manchester office in 2013, this has given the firm much more of a national feel to it. In the last five years, however, it has been all quiet on the expansion front once again.

The leadership team has been remarkably consistent over TLT’s life to date. Trumps managing partner Robert Bourns initially served as managing partner of the merged firm, before stepping up to the role of senior partner, a position he occupied until 2015 (he then became President of the Law Society).

Bourns’ replacement as TLT managing partner was the former Lawrence Tucketts head of corporate, David Pester. He took on the role in 2002 and stayed in place for six consecutive three-year terms before handing over to John Wood – another head of corproate – in 2020.

The firm has a broad commercial practice but it has traditionally had strengths in banking and financial services, along with technology.

	Managing partner	Senior partner
2000	Robert Bourns	Tim Pyper
2002	David Pester	Robert Bourns
2015		Andrew Glynn
2020	John Wood