A trailblazing alternative business structure set up by local authorities has changed its name as part of a major rebrand.

Pathfinder Legal Services is the new name for LGSS Law Ltd, which was set up in 2015 by Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire county councils. Central Bedfordshire Council joined as an owner the following year.

Earlier this year Northamptonshire County Council was split into two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire C ouncil and West Northamptonshire Council. Geoff Wild, the driving force behind pioneering Kent County Council’s ABS Invicta Law, joined West Northamptonshire Council as interim head of legal and deputy monitoring officer in June.

Pathfinder Legal Services said: ‘With the disaggregation of LGSS and two new shareholders following the local government reform in Northamptonshire, it was felt that now would be a good time to rebrand and start on a new journey. The role of a solicitor is to support its client on the long route through legal proceedings and our name has been chosen to reflect this.

Northamptonshire County Council

Northamptonshire County Council: split into two unitary authorities earlier in the year

‘While the quality of service and expert legal advice will remain the same, we are excited to start on our new adventure as Pathfinder Legal Services Ltd.’

Full accounts filed at Companies House last month showed that in the year ended 31 March 2021, LGSS Ltd trebled profits despite a ‘challenging’ year as a result of Covid-19. The accounts stated that the introduction of remote client meetings and hearings had enabled the firm to undertake more work in-house and expand its external client caseload ‘due to geographical location being less of a constraint’.

In March 2020, the company underwent a capital restructure, issuing further shares, to place the business on a ‘better financial footing’. Northamptonshire County Council’s shareholding was evenly split between the two new unitary authorities.

According to Pathfinder Legal Services’ revamped website, benefits for clients include ‘cost-effective pricing compared to private sector law firms’.