Top accountancy firm KPMG is to double its legal practice in a massive shake-up of its British operations, the England and Wales Law Society Gazette has reported.

Founded in 2014, the KPMG Law arm of the business is set to hire another 220 lawyers, including 45 partners and directors, over the next two years, bringing the total number of practising solicitors to over 400.

KPMG tripled its legal-services revenue from Stg£12 million to Stg£45 million between 2016 and 2020, according to estimates.

The increase will be a critical element of KPMG’s growth plans if Stg£300 million for Britain, as part of its global legal services’ growth strategy, the company has said.

Stuart Fuller (head of global legal services) said that the firm was creating “a different type of law offering”.

 “We’re delivering integrated legal services with high-performing lawyers supporting businesses across their geographic footprint,” he said, adding that few firms can match such reach.

Evolving market 

British legal head Nick Roome said that in a rapidly-evolving market, there was a real drive towards quality legal counsel “empowered by cutting-edge technology and thoroughly integrated with other advisory services”.

A recent study by LexisNexis found that Big Four accountancy firms have moved away from being “like law firms only bigger” and are focusing on work that traditional City firms turn down.