Gordon Dadds has placed Ince & Co into administration as part of its $35m acquisition of the 150-year old shipping and insurance law firm.

London-listed Gordon Dadds insists the move has been completed for “technical reasons”.

It stresses there is no suggestion Ince is not a going concern and the takeover is to go ahead as planned.

Andrew Hoskins and Sean Bucknall of law firm Quantuma are reported to have been...