On 14 June, southwest giant Bevan Ashford announced it was de-merging at the end of October, nearly 18 years after the union of Bevan Hancock and Ashford Sparks & Harward was created.
It was hardly a shock. Rumours had been rife about the peculiar structure of the top 50 UK firm which, for many years, successfully operated as two almost entirely separate operations under a single banner. The ‘BBL’ (Birmingham, Bristol and London) arm, which accounted for about two-thirds of Bevan Ashford’s turnover and is known especially for its highly-rated public sector PFI practice, has become Bevan Brittan; the ‘EPL’ (Exeter, Plymouth, Taunton, Tiverton and London) arm, best known for its corporate and private client focus, now trades as Ashfords.
