The bid by national insurance firm Berrymans Lace Mawer to take on the insurance team of Bristol firm Cartwrights has failed following the announcement that the insurance department is to form a new law firm.

The creation of a four-partner independent firm Cartwrights Insurance Partners (CIP), follows the decision of Cartwrights’ 11-partner corporate and commercial team to move to southwest firm Bond Pearce. The firm had courted the team for several months.