Epiq has bolstered its settlement and bankruptcy capability with the acquisition of Garden City Group (GCG) from claims management solutions provider Crawford & Company. GCG provides legal administration services for class action, bankruptcy, mass tort, regulatory matters, and legal notice programs.
As part of the agreement, which closed on 15 June, Epiq will continue to provide ancillary support services to Crawford in support of its claims operations.
“The addition of GCG to our leading class action, mass tort, data breach, and restructuring business represents an unprecedented combination of expertise, knowledge, and resources that has never before been leveraged on such a massive scale in our industry,” said John Davenport, Jr., chief executive officer of Epiq. “Joining forces with GCG demonstrates our commitment to this industry and to creating unmatched settlement and bankruptcy solutions for our clients.”
“This is an important strategic transaction for Crawford that allows us to further concentrate our attention and resources on high-growth business segments where we have established leadership positions,” said Harsha V. Agadi, president and CEO of Crawford & Company. “Just as importantly, we have found a great home for our legal administrative services business and the dedicated GCG employees to continue to excel and succeed.”
GCG will rebrand as Epiq in the fourth quarter of 2018.
Advisors for the transaction included Alvarez & Marsal, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, and Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP.
Based in Atlanta, Crawford & Company is the world’s largest publicly listed independent provider of claims management solutions to insurance companies and self‐insured entities with an expansive global network serving clients in more than 70 countries.