A Sheffield law firm and its subsidiaries appear to have ceased trading, with notices placed on office doors and former employees taking to social media to advise of their availability for work.
In a widely shared image on social media, Butterworths Solicitors in Carlisle placed a notice on its front door on the morning of 2nd February advising:
“Due to regulatory matter the PM Group businesses carried out within this building can no longer trade.”
Butterworths is a subsidiary of Sheffield-based PM Law, which counts PM Property Lawyers, GN Law, Gaines & Wilkinson, John M Lewis & Co, Valerie Holmes Law and Wilsons Solicitors amongst its brands.
It quickly became clear yesterday that the closures have affected the group, with reports of firms unable to make contact as concerns about forthcoming transactions and property exchanges rise. At the time of writing there has been no formal response from PM Law, despite attempts by this publication to clarify the situation.
None of the firm’s websites provide any update and there no information on the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) website, with the closure apparently catching the regulator off-guard. In a statement, the SRA said it had fielded a number of calls about office closures, adding:
“When law firms close, they must do so in accordance with our rules to make sure that client interests are protected. This includes advising those with live matters about seeking new representation, returning archived files to past clients and the redistribution of any monies held.
“We have had a number of calls on Monday 2 February that suggest Butterworths have not closed in the manner we’d expect. We will be contacting the partners of Butterworths to find out what’s going on and to remind them of their professional obligations. If they are closing, we would expect those affected should be contacted soon.”
It is understood staff were unaware of the closures but were told not to go into the office. Today’s Conveyancer has reached out to PM Law for comment. We will report further as more details emerge.
Full list of affected brands/law firms:
- PM Property Lawyers
- PM Legal Services
- Lloyd Green Solicitors
- All Your Accidents
- Angela Viney Conveyancing Services
- Proddow Mackay (Conveyancing) Limited
- Gaines & Wilkinson Ltd
- John M Lewis & Co Ltd
- Barrett and Co Solicitors
- Valerie Holmes Law
- OneDome Conveyancing
- Wilsons Solicitors
- PLA Law
- Butterworths Solicitors
- WB Pennine Solicitors
- bridgeview law
- GN Law
- proddowmackay.law
- DAzur Law
- KB Property Law
Many of the employees of the firms believed to have been affected have taken to LinkedIn to say they are now looking for work, with the online legal community quick to offer support. Today’s Media is happy to help by raising awareness and sharing information for those affected. If you are a firm with a vacancy you would like to share, please leave a comment on this article or tag us on LinkedIn and we will share your messages with our online audience.
