Spencer: Further acquisitions planned
A law firm owned by a major loss adjusting business has made its first acquisition as it ramps up what has already been an expansive 18 months.
Alternative business structure QGLaw is part of QuestGates, which describes itself the UK’s largest owner-managed loss adjusting and claims solutions group.
QuestGates has over 450 staff operating from 11 locations across the UK. In late 2023, it bought Bristol law firm QCH Legal, which only had a couple of staff, and rebranded as QGLaw in summer 2024.
It has grown significantly since and now has 72 staff, with another 11 joining with the acquisition of City law firm Miles Fanning Legal. The expected turnover for this year is between £4m and £4.5m.
Managing director Jason Spencer told Legal Futures that it was eyeing up further acquisitions too.
Lawyers are mainly based in the North-West, Birmingham (QuestGates’ headquarters) and London.
Mr Spencer is formerly a partner at top insurance law firms like Hill Dickinson and HF, and in 2016 set up Crawford Legal Services. This was the law firm owned by global insurance services firm Crawford & Company, which it sold to HF earlier this month.
He left Crawford in 2023 and soon after began consulting with QuestGates as it investigated legal services. This led to an invitation to become QGLaw’s first managing director the following year.
Mr Spencer said he took up the offer because “I was impressed by the people, by the dynamic, inquisitive, acquisitive and entrepreneurial nature of the business, which I thought was a bit different, and also by the client base”.
QGLaw works for QuestGates clients, essentially forming part of a one-stop shop, and has its own clients as well. The company provides central services but QGLaw remains an independent law firm.
The solicitor said clients were attracted by the offer of “more extended services across an increasingly diverse business”.
The advantage compared to other defendant insurance law firms was that QGLaw was able to have its lawyers involved earlier on in the pre-litigation process. “The operating model has changed for some of our clients with lawyers in the right place,” he said.
The first phase of growth – which has seen QGLaw hire partners from the likes of Keoghs and DAC Beachcroft – was in “core areas”, such as property, casualty and motor, while phase two “is now to extend into more specialist areas”, Mr Spencer explained.
Miles Fanning Legal has a particular focus on the travel, tourism and marine sectors.
The insurance legal market has consolidated in recent years, with a small number of very large practices and Mr Spencer suggested this had left a gap in the market for a smaller practice able to offer a high standard of service while being “reasonably nimble and commercial on price”.
Mark Fanning, managing director of Miles Fanning Legal, said: “After almost a decade of trading as a standalone business, this felt like the right time to take that natural next step, opening up new opportunities for our team and allowing us to enhance our service offering for clients.”
Chris Hall, group executive chairman of QuestGates, said: “As we look further ahead into 2026 and beyond, we are excited to continue investing in and strengthening our rapidly growing QGLaw team, while delivering additional value and support to our clients.”
QuestGates was launched in 2003 and has made several acquisitions in recent years, while in 2024, it took private equity investment from Equistone Partners Europe.
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