LAW
MERGER AND MOMENTUM
Promoted- from left, Sophie Wilding, Georgia Wilkinson, Tyler Plunkett, Rhiannon Melrose, Laura Nomaz and Bethany Atkinson.
TBI Law powering ahead after Scanlans expansion
‘
Nothing short of extraordinary’ – that’ s how law firm Tilly Bailey & Irvine rates the successful first year of its merger with
Wearside firm Scanlans. Known as TBI Scanlans following the merger in May 2025, the exciting expansion into Wearside has seen TBI Law remain committed to growing its team and the TBI brand as a whole.
Staff numbers at the office in John Street, Sunderland, are continuing to grow, while demand generated by the new base has helped drive a 16 % year-on-year increase in new matters across the firm.
More than £ 40,000 has been invested in the building, creating a physical space needed to grow the team and broaden the services available to clients.
Historically, Scanlans was well-known locally for criminal defence, probate and conveyancing – services TBI Law still proudly offers leading expertise in.
However, since the merger, it has successfully grown into a genuine fullservice firm, offering the entire range of services that TBI Law has long been synonymous with, including family law, personal injury and commercial services.
It is an approach that mirrors a wider ethos within the company – to offer comprehensive support under one roof, which has helped it become one of the North-East’ s biggest, oldest and most trusted law firms.
That trust and expertise means often being tasked with working on some of the highest-profile legal cases – among them, the recent Medomsley Detention Centre inquiry and the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Such complex matters require expertise and capacity – attributes TBI confidently offer.
From its first office in 1842, Tilly Bailey & Irvine now employs more than 200 staff across the North-East – a team of knowledgeable experts, dedicated to providing clients with an outstanding service.
The firm is growing in other ways too, with nine members of staff recently receiving promotions across various departments.
Those promotions included three solicitors – Laura Nomaz, Jessica Inman, and Georgia Wilkinson – who have been promoted shortly after returning from maternity leave to senior associate roles.
Joining them in that position are Rhiannon Melrose and Tyler Plunkett, while Bethany Atkinson, Mollie Hall, Olivia Linton and Sophie Wilding have been promoted to associate level roles.
Several of those promoted have progressed through the firm over several years, with some starting as secretaries. Such career paths underline a longstanding commitment within TBI Law to nurture talent from within and demonstrate its belief in investing in its sites, its business and, most importantly, its staff.
A company spokesperson said:“ 2025 was an exciting year for Tilly Bailey & Irvine and we hope to continue this long into the future.
“ A year on from launching our Sunderland site, TBI Law is proof that even the most established names can still find new ways to move forward.”
Jessica Inman
Mollie Hall
Olivia Linton
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