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QualitySolicitors

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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]
Websitewww.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.

History

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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

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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]

References

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  1. ^ a b "QualitySolicitors secures majority investment from private equity firm". Legal Week. 20 October 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  2. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b c "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.

Further reading

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