Press Release

Leading UK law firm Shoosmiths has advised national accountancy and business advisory group Azets on its acquisition of Tait Walker, one of the largest independent accountants and business advisors in the North East of England. tants and business advisors in the North East of England.

This latest acquisition marks Azets’ third UK acquisition in four months, representing another significant step in its growth journey and enhancing Azets’ key service lines in accounting, audit and assurance, tax, data analytics, corporate finance, and payroll services. Acquiring Tait Walker adds over 170 employees to Azet’s group, with the £13 million turnover firm advising around 4,000 clients. 

The Shoosmiths team was led by corporate partner Simon Procter, supported by Sophie Davies (corporate), Laura Board and Alexander Massey (tax), Chelsea Clapham (HR) and Alistair Wade (real estate). 

The acquisition marks the fourth transaction that Shoosmiths’ corporate team has advised Azets in relation to, as the accountancy firm continues to build its brand and footprint within the UK and throughout Europe. It follows on from the acquisition of Poole based Inspire Accountants, the acquisition of specialist accountancy firm Garbutt & Elliott, and the acquisition of Roffe Swayne – one of the largest independent chartered accountants in the South East of England.

This latest transaction comes as Shoosmiths celebrates ranking second place for the volume of M&A transactions it advised on throughout 2021 – as highlighted by Experian Market IQ report results. 

Simon Procter, corporate partner at Shoosmiths, said: “This latest transaction with Azets reaffirms Shoosmiths’ reputation as the ‘go-to’ advisors for impactful M&A transactions. It was a pleasure to work alongside the Azets team once again, and we look forward to seeing their continued expansion and growth.”

Craig Pettit, Deputy General Counsel at Azets, said: “Shoosmiths played a pivotal role in delivering this transaction for Azets. The service and professionalism provided by Shoosmiths has been second-to-none and we look forward to working with them again in the future. We’re excited to welcome Tait Walker to the Azets family as we continue our growth journey”