Market monitor

Taylor Rose TTKW is set to pay £1.4m to buy McMillan Williams, which was sunk by slowdowns in both the property market and personal injury settlements, and its high level of gearing, it has emerged.

The liquidators of Asons have settled their claim against its successor practice, after alleging that the controversial personal injury law firm was sold at an undervalue.

A solicitor and his wife have used WhatsApp video to witness a will made by a man who was very ill with Covid-19, it has emerged.

Anexo Group plc – the listed business which combines legal services with credit hire – has raised £7.5m with a view to acquisitions, while two of its lawyer directors have sold shares for £3.2m.

A virtual law business that uniquely combines regulated and unregulated legal practices, with lawyers in the UK and across the world, has launched a subsidiary in the USA.

The man who steered DWF onto the public markets as the first law firm to be listed on the main London Stock Exchange has suddenly stepped down in the face of the firm’s Covid-19 difficulties.

Businesswoman Gina Miller has turned to the “outdated” wills legislation in her latest campaign, calling for emergency measures to help people make wills during the Covid-19 crisis.

Most law firms have continued to resist radical measures to cope with the Covid-19 crisis, taking “moderate steps in the short term to ensure resilience in the long term”, new research has found.

The coronavirus crisis has given law firms a “platform to accelerate change” in promoting equality, the chief operating officer of Bristol-based law firm Burges Salmon has said.

AIM-listed law firm Gateley has moved underemployed staff to support counter-cyclical services that are “extremely busy”, it reassured investors yesterday.

Conveyancers and other property stakeholders have called on Chancellor Rishi Sunak to allow them to move staff in and out of furlough on a weekly basis as the home-moving market recovers.

There are “early signs” that the market is stabilising after the initial impact of lockdown saw instructions fall 20%, listed firm Knights has said. But it will not pay a dividend, while Rosenblatt has cut its payout.

An online dispute resolution platform for SMEs and a ‘lawtech sandbox’ were unveiled today as cornerstones of a concerted push to develop digital legal services in the UK.

Fast-growing consumer law firm Taylor Rose TTKW has more than doubled in size after taking over private equity-backed McMillan Williams – and has taken investment of its own, we can reveal.

The solicitor boss of listed law firm Knights entered the Sunday Times Rich List at the weekend, and our calculations show that lawyers at other listed firms are also worth many millions – on paper at least.