Growing outwards isn’t new for us. We began in Wells, then merged with a practice in Street. A third office followed in Somerton, and a fourth office in Taunton is now part of that same story. What’s worth explaining is why we chose Taunton and why now.
Why Taunton
We opened in Taunton initially to grow our commercial work, and to sit where that work happens. Basing ourselves on Blackbrook put us among the accountants and commercial surveyors our commercial clients rely on. This is exactly where we felt we should be. The people who could help us grow our team were there too at the larger commercial firms in the town, and several were ready to join us. A number of our existing lawyers also lived out that way. Taunton was, therefore, a considered choice, not just a flag planted on a map.
Meeting a local need
People have approached us wanting a local firm they can deal with directly, and that is what we set out to be. The professional community in Taunton is already busy, and we wanted to be in it rather than at arm’s length. The thinking behind it was that our clients get to keep their own accountant and the contacts they trust, and we handle the legal side from just up the road. It puts us between the high-street firm and the large regional one, which is where we think we’re most useful. There’s real growth in Taunton, so having someone local matters considerably.
New work and offices that work together
Being in Taunton has changed the scope of work we do. The office has brought in more commercial lending than the firm handled before, much of it arriving with our team members who moved clients across from their previous firms. The future plan is to move to a larger office, which is a great achievement given that we have only had an official presence in Taunton since 2025. We want more of our everyday work in Taunton too, such as private client, residential and litigation, grown by recruiting locally rather than moving people from our other offices where they’re needed.
Being spread across the county helps rather than hinders. A client in Taunton can draw on members of our team in Wells, Street or Somerton, who understand their world and can very quickly be brought up to speed by whoever knows them best. The great thing about this approach is that the relationship with us stays whole, no matter how many of us are helping.
A place of our own
The office itself tells the story of how this growth has gone. It began as one small room with three desks in serviced offices. We very quickly outgrew this space and moved within the same building to a space for 12 to 13 people. Next year we plan to take a longer-term lease on our own building. This would be a significant achievement in such a short space of time, showing how much our Taunton business has grown.
Staying is the point. We want to be part of the business community here for the long run, not just have an address in it. Being close is about putting the right team members in front of our clients and working to develop the relationships that matter.
