The Solicitors Regulation Authority has said it will demand answers from partners of a law firm network amid reports the business has closed suddenly.
Staff were told yesterday that PM Law Limited was to shut, with several employees posting messages on Linkedin and updating their profiles with ‘open to work’ tags. The PM Law group includes more than 20 different practices spread across Yorkshire, Cumbria and Berkshire, with at least 55 fee-earners and dozens of support staff.
The Gazette has attempted to call PM Law's head office in Sheffield, as well as the various offices within the group, but the phone has either not been picked up or gone dead immediately.
The SRA was not able to confirm whether or not the firm had closed, but posted an update yesterday afternoon in response to contacts from clients.
‘We have received calls that suggest Butterworths / PM Law Limited has not closed in the manner we would expect,’ said the regulator. ‘We will contact the partners to find out what is happening and to remind them of their professional obligations. If the firm is closing, we expect that those affected should be contacted soon.’
Several staff have expressed their shock and sadness on Linkedin, with hundreds of people responding with goodwill messages or offers to try to help them find work.
One trainee solicitor posted: ‘I am utterly heartbroken to have awoken to the news that PM Law is no more. Myself and my wonderful colleagues, who have put so much into the business, simply left in tears with no answers to any of our many questions. I can only hope for a swift and serious investigation to provide us with the answers and accountability we and our clients deserve.’
Another solicitor who worked for PM Law said she had been told on Monday morning she had lost her job with no prior communication and with no way of contacting her clients.
According to the last published accounts for PM Law Limited, covering the year to 31 October 2024, the company had net assets of more than £3m. The firm was owed £6.2m and was due to pay creditors £3.1m within one year. There were no cash reserves.
Entities coming under the umbrella of PM Law were PM Property Lawyers, Proddow Mackay, GN Law, Gaines & Wilkinson, John M Lewis & Co, Valerie Holmes Law, Angela Viney, DJ Mackey & Partners, Lexelle, OSOI Global, Barrett and Co, Wilsons Solicitors, Butterworths Solicitors and WB Pennine Solicitors.
BBC News reported on Monday that Butterworths’ Kendal branch had closed. A sign on the door says ‘Due to regularity [sic] matters the PM Group of businesses carried out within this building can no longer trade.’
It is understood there has not been an intervention, but the SRA has said it cannot comment further at this stage.
As well as being a key employer in many Yorkshire and Cumbria towns, PM Law was also a prominent sponsor of local causes, including Rotherham United FC player development, England Martial Arts and the Strata Brass Band.
14 Readers' comments