Hundreds of staff and clients have been left stranded after the sudden closure of a major law firm. PM Law, which specialises in personal injury, wills and conveyancing and has five branches across the UK, closed its doors without forewarning on Monday. Signs appeared in the windows of the Sheffield-based firm’s sites informing employees that it could no longer trade because of “regulatory matters”, employees said.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) confirmed that it had “intervened into the group of firms” to “close it with immediate effect”. PM Law employs over 600 people across its sites in Yorkshire, Cumbria, Berkshire, Kent and Derbyshire, according to its website. It operates under names including Lloyd Green Solicitors, Valerie Holmes Law, Wilsons Solicitors, OneDome Conveyancing and All Your Accidents.
“I’m devastated at the way they’ve treated us,” one staff member told the BBC. “They’ve not given us the time. Usually in these kind of situations, where a company’s going under, they generally put a plan in place. But there’s nothing at all. It’s just soul destroying.”
The employee, who did not want to be named, said she had worked for the business for over a decade and insisted there was no indication that a closure was on the horizon.
“We should have been going on a night out this Friday, the building was supposed to be starting refurbishment,” she said.
“So it’s not just the staff and clients, [but also] contractors. The domino effect is just massive. [And] there’s not even been an apology.”
Sarah Rapson, chief executive of the SRA, said the organisation had received multiple calls about PM Law by staff left in limbo since Monday.
“The sudden announcement from PM Law on Monday that they had closed is troubling news and I fully sympathise with the clients of the firm,” she added.
“Many of those involved are buying and selling a house or dealing with personal injury claims. These matters can be stressful enough without the added complication of your solicitor’s firm closing during the process.”
She assured employees and clients that an investigation was ongoing to provide them with answers about the firm’s sudden collapse.