QualitySolicitors
Law firms in the United Kingdom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
| |
| Industry | Legal services |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2009 (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) |
| Revenue | Circa £300 million (system)[1] |
| Website | www |
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 £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]