Clifton Wealth Partnership (CWP) has acquired Morgan Law Financial Services bringing Clifton Group’s total assets under management to £4bn.
Suffolk-based Morgan Law has around 500 clients and £138m in AUM. The firm’s five-strong team – comprising two advisers, two qualified paraplanners and a dedicated administrator – will continue to operate from their existing Ipswich office but the business will rebrand as Clifton Wealth Partnership.
Longstanding director Simon Browne will remain with the business for a transitional period.
Browne said: “Every client we have taken on has come through a personal recommendation. We’ve never needed to advertise because the relationships speak for themselves and protecting those relationships was my first priority when it came to finding the right home for the business.
“What set CWP apart from the start was its openness and honesty. After fielding approaches over the years where goalposts would shift or answers wouldn’t come straight, speaking to CWP felt like a breath of fresh air. We were also impressed with the technology at the firm, which will no doubt be used to make our processes slicker and easier for our advisers and clients.”
He added: “Our clients will see a different name above the door, but everything else stays the same. We’re in the same office, as the same team, and we’ll be answering the phone the way we always have. This is an exciting opportunity for us and we look forward to getting started with CWP.”
So far this year CWP has acquired four financial planning firms, bringing a total of £330mn AUM to the group, and is set to continue on the M&A trail.
Anthony Carty, managing director, Clifton Wealth Partnership, said: “Simon has built something genuinely distinctive in Morgan Law – a business that has grown entirely through recommendation and reputation over more than three decades. That kind of trust is hard-earned and speaks for itself.
“We are pleased to welcome the Morgan Law team to CWP. There was straightforward, immediate alignment on both sides about our commitment to long-term, personal client relationships that made deciding to work together easy.
He added: “Our priority is to ensure clients continue to receive the same quality of service they are used to, while benefiting from our wider capabilities, such as the technology and infrastructure we have in place across the group.”
