Solicitors
Buying a solicitor firm?
We arrange the finance. You get the keys.
A solicitor firm with an established client base, recurring instructions, and a strong local reputation is a substantial professional business acquisition. The value sits in the client relationships, the work in progress, and the recurring fee income generated by established practice areas — conveyancing, private client, commercial, or litigation. The acquisition finance and loans market for solicitor firms is well established and specialist lenders understand the structure — provided the application presents the firm's financial and regulatory position correctly.
What lenders look at
Fee income quality and practice area mix are the foundation of any law firm valuation. Lenders will examine the gross fee income, the split across practice areas, and the recurring versus transactional nature of that income. A firm with a strong private client or commercial practice generating recurring annual instructions is a more fundable proposition than one heavily dependent on transactional conveyancing, where volume is tied to property market conditions. Work in progress is assessed separately — lenders will want to understand the WIP pipeline and its conversion rate to billed income.
Client concentration and retention are assessed carefully. A firm where fee income is well spread across a large client base — with no single client or referral source representing a disproportionate share of turnover — is a significantly stronger proposition than one dependent on a small number of key relationships. Referral source dependency is as important as client concentration — a firm receiving the majority of its conveyancing instructions from one or two estate agents carries a concentration risk that lenders price accordingly.
SRA regulatory requirements are central to the underwriting. Any change in the ownership or management structure of a regulated law firm requires SRA approval — lenders familiar with legal practice acquisitions understand this timeline and factor it into the deal structure. The incoming owner's SRA authorisation status, their practising certificate, and any regulatory history are all reviewed as part of due diligence. Lenders will not advance against a firm the buyer is not yet authorised to manage.
Professional indemnity insurance is assessed as part of the overall deal. Law firms are required to maintain qualifying professional indemnity insurance — the cost, the claims history, and the renewal terms all affect the firm's financial profile and lenders will want to understand the PII position before issuing a formal offer.
How we help
We are acquisition finance and loans brokers, not lenders. We package your application, present it to the funders with genuine legal practice appetite, and manage the process from first conversation through to completion.
We also arrange government-backed facilities for solicitor firm acquisitions — helping buyers access up to £2 million toward their purchase where the criteria are met.
Every firm acquisition is different. Tell us about the practice. We will take it from there.
For the wider funding options, explore business acquisition finance.
01 — Who we help
First-time principals, expanding firms, and consolidators
First-time practice principals
A solicitor employed as an associate or salaried partner, SRA-authorised as a manager or owner, and ready to step into practice ownership for the first time.
Existing principals expanding
An established firm looking to acquire a smaller practice, add a new practice area, or expand geographic reach across the UK through acquisition.
Practice area specialists
A solicitor with deep expertise in conveyancing, private client, commercial, or family law acquiring a practice that specialises in the same area — buying the client base rather than building it.
Legal consolidators
A group or consolidator acquiring solicitor firms across the UK as part of a structured buy-and-build programme.
02 — The opportunity
What can we help you buy?
We arrange acquisition finance and loans for solicitor firms across the UK — from small high street practices to established multi-department firms.
High street conveyancing practices
Conveyancing practices serving residential and commercial property transactions across the UK generate consistent, transaction-based fee income. The volume and consistency of instruction flow, average fee per transaction, and the strength of the referral network are the key metrics lenders assess. The asking prices for leasehold and freehold solicitor firms typically range from £150,000 to £3m.
Private client practices
Practices specialising in wills, trusts, probate, and estate administration serve an affluent and ageing client base with high lifetime value. Private client work generates strong recurring income from ongoing trust administration and estate management alongside one-off transactional fees.
Commercial law practices
Commercial solicitor firms advising owner-managed businesses across the UK generate diverse fee income from business sales and acquisitions, commercial contracts, employment, and property. The breadth of the commercial client base reduces concentration risk that lenders assess carefully.
Practices with legal aid contracts
Firms holding legal aid contracts in family, criminal, or immigration law have contracted government-funded income alongside private fee work. The contracted income stream is assessed favourably by specialist lenders as a stable and predictable revenue floor.
First-time practice principals
Many solicitors employed as associates or salaried partners are ready to move into practice ownership. SRA authorisation as a manager or owner is a prerequisite — lenders assess the applicant's SRA standing, relevant experience, and client transition plan alongside the financial profile of the firm.
Practice mergers and consolidations
Established solicitor firms acquiring a smaller practice to expand their geographic reach or add a new practice area across the UK are an active acquisition category. We structure funding for both straightforward acquisitions and more complex merger transactions.
03 — The transaction
What can we finance?
The Business Purchase
Funding to buy a trading business, including goodwill and the business assets.
The Freehold
Funding for the purchase of the premises from which the business operates.
The Leasehold
Funding to buy a business operating from leased premises.
Fixtures, Fittings and Equipment
Where appropriate, funding can also take account of the assets required to operate the business.
Working Capital
Depending on the transaction, we can arrange funding for the initial working capital required after you take ownership.
Every deal is assessed on its own merits — not every element of every purchase will be financeable, and we'll tell you plainly what is and what isn't.
04 — The lender's view
What will lenders look at?
Lenders want to see a professionally prepared funding application. They want to know that the business is viable, that the proposed borrowing is affordable and that their loan can be repaid as agreed.
We use our proven iLendi Six™ method to build a strong funding application around the things lenders need to understand about your purchase.
Read more about the iLendi Six™05 — The funding
How much can you borrow?
Every purchase is different. The amount you can borrow will depend on the business, its trading performance, the purchase price, your circumstances and the structure of the transaction.
For solicitor firms, lenders will focus on the quality and consistency of fee income by practice area, the level of work in progress and how it is valued, the SRA regulatory standing of the firm and the incoming principal, and the client transition and retention plan. Firms with strong conveyancing or private client departments and low reliance on legal aid income generally attract the strongest lender appetite.
We arrange funding across the UK and work with you to find the financing solution that best fits the purchase.
06 — The completion
The iLendi Approach
Three steps from finding the business to owning it.
01
The Discovery
You have just found the business you want. You tell us all about it.
02
The Finance
You need financing to buy the business; we find the money.
03
The Completion
We stay by your side through to legal work completion and the business is yours.
Common questions
Buying a solicitor firm — your questions answered
How much deposit do I need to buy a law firm?+
Deposits for solicitor firm acquisitions typically range from 20 to 30 percent of the purchase price, depending on the quality of the fee income, the practice area mix, and the buyer's SRA standing and experience. Firms with strong recurring income and a clear transition plan may attract better terms.
How are law firms valued?+
Solicitor firms are typically valued on a multiple of maintainable fee income or a multiple of EBITDA, with the practice area mix and fee income quality affecting the multiple applied. Work in progress is usually assessed separately and agreed as part of the purchase price negotiation. We can help you understand whether an asking price reflects the sustainable earnings of the firm you are acquiring.
Do I need SRA approval before buying a law firm?+
Yes. The SRA must approve any change in the ownership or management of an authorised firm. The process involves notifying the SRA of the proposed change, providing information about the incoming owner, and obtaining approval before completion. We factor this timeline into the funding process and work alongside your solicitor to ensure the finance and regulatory approvals align.
Can I borrow against goodwill when buying a law firm?+
Yes. Specialist lenders who understand legal practice acquisitions will lend against goodwill where the fee income history and client retention support it. The application has to demonstrate the sustainability and transferability of the fee income — particularly for practices where key client relationships are concentrated around one or two senior solicitors.
How long does it take to arrange finance to buy a law firm?+
Indicative terms are usually available within 48 hours of your enquiry. A formal offer typically follows within two to four weeks. The overall transaction timeline is often extended by SRA notification and approval requirements — we plan around these from the outset to avoid delays at the point of completion.
Is iLendi Capital a lender or broker?+
iLendi Capital is an acquisition finance and loans broker, not a direct lender. We work with buyers across the UK to prepare their funding applications, introduce them to the lenders most likely to approve them, and manage the deal through to completion. We also specialise in government-backed facilities, helping you secure up to £2m toward your purchase.
Keep exploring
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Found your solicitor firm?
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Other ways to contact us
Send an email:enquiries@ilendicapital.co.ukCall us: +44 (0)20 3488 8126We'll open WhatsApp with: "Hello iLendi Capital — I'm looking at buying a business and would like to talk."