Thu, 02 May 2024 | BUSINESS SALE
Acquisitive legal services group Lawfront has completed a deal for Manchester-headquartered law firm Slater Heelis. The acquisition is private equity-backed Lawfront’s eighth deal overall and third in the past 12 months.
Slater Heelis has seen significant growth in recent years, after implementing an acquisitive and organic growth strategy in 2021. The company has acquired Towns Needham and NJ Goodman & Co, adding service lines in insolvency and charity law, as well as adding a regulatory team. These new service lines complemented its existing offerings in corporate, family and Court of Protection.
Lawfront, which is backed by private equity firm Blixt Group, partners with general legal services companies that have a leading regional position, a strong client service offering, dedication to their staff and management teams and a history of profitable growth.
The firm then backs these companies to achieve their organic and acquisitive growth strategies and provides investment and expertise in marketing, finance, compliance, people, IT and AI.
The acquisition of Slater Heelis takes Lawfront to more than £70 million in revenue and is described as an important step in its efforts to build a "high-quality, national legal services business". The deal will also enable Slater Heelis to continue its own growth strategy.
Neil Lloyd, Lawfront Chief Executive, commented: "The deal is further validation of our unique approach to the general legal services market: backing firms’ management teams, preserving their client facing brands, and most importantly, enhancing the prospects of their people.”
Lloyd added that Lawfront was seeing “rapidly growing interest” in its proposition, which he said "addresses the major concerns of succession, legacy and the scale of investment required to remain competitive.”
Simon Wallwork, partner and Head of Corporate, who instigated and led the deal for Slater Heelis, said: "We started the process last June and the proposition provided by Lawfront is excellent. It has a shared vision of growth and investment and enables Slater Heelis to continue and fulfil its own vision. This transaction will accelerate our acquisition strategy as well as allowing us to invest in our culture and the communities we operate in."
Blixt Group Chief Executive Carl Harring added: "The firm is an exciting addition to the Lawfront family, with a strong team, a deeply embedded commitment to high quality client service and an ambitious growth agenda, and brings Lawfront revenue to in excess of £70m.”
"We look forward to continuing to support Lawfront on its exciting growth trajectory and delivering on its vision to transform the consumer and SME legal market, through partnering with the highest quality law firms in the UK."
Private equity investment is helping to drive significant growth in legal M&A
Opportunity to purchase a reputable law firm in Scotland, offering a strong client base and extensive expertise in various legal services.
A prestigious law firm with an expert team, offering unparalleled opportunities in mergers and acquisitions, banking, and financial law.
A well-established practice is looking for a buyer who values client relationships and exceptional service delivery. The vendor is looking for a buyer who values personal relationships with clients and is committed to maintaining the exceptional serv...
Please choose your settings for this site below. For more information please read our Cookie Policy
These cookies are necessary for our website to function properly and provide you with access to all features.
These are analytics cookies that help us to improve the way our website works.
These are used to improve the functional performance of the website and make it easier for you to use.