Déjà vu?! Up to 40 staff at Halliwells are to undergo a second volley of redundancy consultations

That makes it two within the last 12 months.

The ‘consultation will affect 40 staff in the firm’s real estate practice. It is set to affect around 20 fee earners and 20 support staff across the firm’s offices in Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield and London.

Halliwells’ first consultation in February, led to the closure of two teams in its City arm and affected around eight staff.

Halliwells had experienced rapid growth due to an acquisition hunger focus with Manchester’s James Chapman & Co and 16-partner Liverpool practice Cuff Roberts joining the Halliwells umbrella.

Halliwells’ head of real estate, Mike Edge, said: “The property market is experiencing a sustained downturn and, having conducted a strategic review of our real estate department, it is clear that a restructuring process is required. This has been a difficult decision to make, but it is in the best interests of the business moving forward.”

This follows news that Wragge & Co were also culling jobs.