FEBRUARY has brought about changes for Bolton-based law firm, Russell & Russell Solicitors.

It has converted to an Alternative Business Structure (ABS) and limited liability partnership (LLP) .

The firm, established by William Russell in 1887, has experienced consistent growth for the last five years and currently employs 220 staff across 13 offices in Greater Manchester and Chester.

While the business has 14 equity partners, it is expected that several of the salaried partners will be invited to join the equity partnership.

Judith Bromley, joint managing partner at Russell & Russell, said: “This is a strategic move that will give us much more flexibility going forward. The legal landscape has changed considerably and as a partnership, we recognised that we need to operate our business in a modern, efficient way by having a more corporate structure to help achieve our objectives.

“The move will not make any difference to our clients. Our team structures will remain the same and our service will be unaffected; it’s simply a technical change to the structure of the business. Having the freedom of being an ABS will allow the firm to attract talented people who may not have a legal background, but do have skills that will add value to the business."