Thorntons and Steel Eldridge Stewart announced plans earlier this year to create one of the largest legal practices in the East of Scotland, enhancing the firm's current offering and give the merged firm – to be known as Thorntons – a footprint stretching across Angus, Dundee, Fife, Perthshire and Edinburgh.
Leading Fife solicitors, Murray Donald, will join the firm on 1 November.
All former Steel Eldridge Stewart partners, solicitors, property consultants and support staff will continue to be based in the Cupar office following the merger.
Former partners, now Thorntons' consultants, Hilary Eldridge and Jim Steel and their team will deliver the same quality, expert advice they have done for the last 30 years. They will be joined in Cupar by Thorntons partner, Margaret Allan, who brings 25 years' experience to the mix.
Jo Henderson, property consultant, will continue to provide estate agency services to house sellers, and buyers, in and around Cupar. Jo will also gain the support of Thorntons' property sales teams to promote houses for sale to the widest possible audience.
Thorntons' Cupar team will continue to provide all the advice and services clients have come to rely on including, buying and selling property, agricultural, family, disputes, private client as well as specialist advice for businesses – all delivered locally from Cupar. These existing services will be complemented further by additional specialist business services new to the branch, as well as bespoke financial and investment services.
Hilary Eldridge, said: "This merger has been a long time in the planning and we are delighted with the response from both our clients and staff. Cupar is an important location for Thorntons and it will very much be business as usual."
Jack Robertson, Thorntons' (previous) chairman, added: "Whilst Thorntons will become one of Scotland's largest full service firms, our eye is very much on delivering a local, yet specialist service. We greatly appreciate the support and encouragement we have received from clients following the merger announcements and we can assure each and every one that they will remain our priority."