QualitySolicitors

Last updated

QualitySolicitors
IndustryLegal services
Founded2009 (Leicester)
Headquarters
St Ives
,
United Kingdom
Number of locations
200+
Area served
United Kingdom
Key people
Ian Wheeler (chief executive) Craig Holt (Founder and President) Saleem Arif (Founder and chief operating officer)
Revenuecirca £300 million (system) [1]
Website www.qualitysolicitors.com

QualitySolicitors is a grouping of law firms in the United Kingdom. [2] It was founded in 2009 and has over 200 branches. It is the first national chain of solicitors in the UK., [3] following a franchise-type model based on independent ownership of small to medium High Street law firms trading under one brand name but sharing national marketing campaigns.

Contents

History

QualitySolicitors was founded in 2009 as an internet-based alliance of independent law firms in the United Kingdom. [4] In May 2010 member firms began to rebrand under the "QualitySolicitors" name, with 50 converting in November of that year. [2] [5]

In April 2011 QualitySolicitors agreed a deal with the retailer WHSmith under which QualitySolicitors would place representatives in up to 500 of its branches. [4] [6] [7]

In October 2011 the private equity firm Palamon Capital Partners acquired a majority stake in the QualitySolicitors holding company in a deal estimated at around £100 million. [1] [8] [9] In March 2012 QualitySolicitors launched a £15 million television advertising campaign, the largest ever by a UK-based legal services provider. [10] [11] [12]

In September 2012 it was announced that QualitySolicitors had formed a partnership with the California-based online legal services provider LegalZoom, as part of which the companies will jointly offer online legal services in the United Kingdom including company formations and divorce documents. [13]

Operations

QualitySolicitors has over 80 branches across the UK and previously held locations in 160 WHSmith outlets. [9]

Member firms pay varying annual fees to the QualitySolicitors holding company. This revenue is used to fund central costs such as advertising. [9]

Related Research Articles

A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to practise there as such. For example, in England and Wales a solicitor is admitted to practise under the provisions of the Solicitors Act 1974. With some exceptions, practising solicitors must possess a practising certificate. There are many more solicitors than barristers in England; they undertake the general aspects of giving legal advice and conducting legal proceedings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHSmith</span> British retailer

WH Smith PLC, trading as WHSmith, is a British retailer, with headquarters in Swindon, England, which operates a chain of high street, railway station, airport, port, hospital and motorway service station shops selling books, stationery, magazines, newspapers, entertainment products and confectionery.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marilyn Stowe</span>

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The legal services sector of the United Kingdom is a significant part of the national economy; it had a total output of £22.6 billion in 2013, up from 10.6 billion in 2001, and is equivalent to 1.6% of the country's gross domestic product for that year. The sector has a trade surplus is £3.1 billion in 2013 and directly employees 316,000 people, two-thirds of whom are located outside London. The UK is the world's most international market for legal services. It allows virtually unrestricted access for foreign firms, resulting in over 200 foreign law firms with offices in London and other cities in the UK. Around half of these are US firms, with the remainder mainly from Europe, Australia and Canada. The UK legal market has a strong global position due to the popularity of English law. Some 27% of the world's 320 legal jurisdictions use English Common law.

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References

  1. 1 2 "QualitySolicitors secures majority investment from private equity firm". Legal Week. 20 October 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  2. 1 2 "QualitySolicitors to launch 50 branches as talks with top 100 firms heat up". The Lawyer. 7 October 2010. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  3. ↑ "UK's first chain of 'high street lawyers' is set to revolutionise legal services". The Guardian. 3 April 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  4. 1 2 "QualitySolicitors to put desks in 500 WHSmith branches". The Lawyer. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  5. ↑ "Exclusive: QualitySolicitors launches high street network". Law Society Gazette. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  6. ↑ "Selling Pieces of Law Firms to Investors". The New York Times. 28 October 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  7. ↑ "QualitySolicitors in WHSmith tie-up". Law Society Gazette. 7 April 2011. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  8. ↑ "Palamon Capital invests in QualitySolicitors". Financial Times. 21 October 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 "Private equity buys into QualitySolicitors". Law Society Gazette. 20 October 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  10. ↑ "QualitySolicitors: The Movie – the £15m ad campaign". Legal Week. 30 March 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  11. ↑ "QualitySolicitors recruits in run-up to £15m ad campaign". Law Society Gazette. 19 January 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  12. ↑ "QualitySolicitors set to kick off £15m ad campaign ahead of May TV blitz". Legal Futures. 9 March 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  13. ↑ "LegalZoom to tie up with QualitySolicitors for British launch". The Lawyer. 20 September 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2012.

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