FINANCE and law firm Mourant has confirmed that it is considering several offers to buy its share plan administration business.

The firm has appointed advisers to assess the offers for the business as a going concern.

Mourant Equity Compensation Solutions (MECS) employs 50 staff in Jersey and up to 200 at the Croydon office, which has developed substantially since 2000 when the firm acquired the UK share plan administration operation of human resources consultancy Mercer’s.

Matthew Robins, Mourant’s director of marketing, said the Jersey-headquartered firm had decided to issue a formal statement following rumours from clients and contacts in the trade press.

He declined to say how many approaches had been made or from which sources.

Management Mr Robins said the management was now considering how the share plan division would fit into the business in the future, including the possibility of further investment.

For now, he said, MECS was ‘absolutely at the heart’ of the business.

The other three divisions focusing on offshore law, international finance administration and private wealth, are not affected.

The company will be making further announcements in due course.