Covid fall-out could lead to rush of law firm start-ups


Hawke: Lower barriers to entry

The Covid-19 pandemic may reverse the trend towards consolidation in the SME legal market, with start-ups emerging as effective competition, according to the former boss of national law firm Cartwright King.

Cartwright King expanded rapidly beyond its East Midlands roots during Rupert Hawke’s time as managing director and he said that for many years he agreed with the widespread view that the legal market would continue to consolidate.

But in the wake of coronavirus, he said mid-sized and smaller firms were likely to fragment instead, “leading to a larger pool of solicitors in the SME legal arena”.

Mr Hawke, who left Cartwright King last year and now runs law firm consultancy Hawke Legal, said the likelihood of firms failing because of cash flow problems would see a lot of solicitors being made redundant.

“With fewer opportunities in the marketplace, we are likely to see many lawyers take the plunge to start their own firms,” he explained.

Even if firms make it through the crisis, they would be “squeezed by the effects of Covid”, leading to fewer promotion opportunities.

Meanwhile, with clients rapidly getting used to receiving services remotely, the barriers to entry were lowering.

“Cloud-based IT systems mean access has becoming easier and less expensive. Using IT productively means support staff requirements are less. Younger lawyers can often understand and utilise marketing opportunities better than traditional large firms who often aren’t in touch with their market.

“These examples illustrate how the modern ways of working help reduce barriers to entry via access and cost control with many larger firms stuck with ingrained cultures and costs that can’t easily be reduced.”

Mr Hawke also predicted that the government would provide help for business start-ups in the next couple of years as part of efforts to rejuvenate the economy.

“We are likely to see a continued consolidation of larger firms as acquirers with significant cash reserves can cope with taking on and reorganising struggling competitors, who will often be keen to find a port for their floundering vessel.

“It’s in the mid sector, the regional and traditional ‘high street’ firms who could fragment and contract with solicitors leaving either voluntarily or through redundancy as internal opportunity reduces or cuts for the firm become necessary.

“And so we could see a larger volume of small start-up firms that can compete with mid-sized firms who are likely to reduce in number.

“Arguably this might have been inevitable and we could not see it. Covid has not only opened our eyes to the shake-up, it has also accelerated it.”

Mr Hawke has launched consultancy business Buildalawfirm to help solicitors who are striking out on their own.




Leave a Comment

By clicking Submit you consent to Legal Futures storing your personal data and confirm you have read our Privacy Policy and section 5 of our Terms & Conditions which deals with user-generated content. All comments will be moderated before posting.

Required fields are marked *
Email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Blog


The SRA – an unprecedented crisis of confidence

Be in no doubt that yesterday marked the deepest crisis that the Solicitors Regulation Authority has ever faced. It needs to show humility and accountability.


Ten questions to ask a potential financial planning partner

The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s codes of conduct are clear how crucial proper due diligence is when assessing third-party partners.


Seasonal law firm marketing: is it worth it?

Marketing is essential for any law firm looking to attract clients and build its brand. One such strategy that has gained traction in recent years is seasonal marketing.


Loading animation