Simplify

Simplify logo

Invested:
August 2014

Exited:
Unrealised

Sector:
Financial Services

Stage:
Mid (core strategy)

Headquarters:
Leicester, UK

Region:
UK

Business:
Consumer finance

 

Business at time of investment

Simplify was a newly branded legal services group comprising of Move with Us, DC Law, and Chorus Law with a combined turnover of approx. £60 million.  Move with Us was the UK’s largest conveyancing panel management company.  DC Law was a fast-growing conveyancing law firm instructions and Chorus Law was the UK’s largest probate service provider.

Investment rationale

Simplify operates in the UK consumer legal services market which is estimated to generate more than £10 billion in fees for law firms but is highly fragmented with over 10,000 law firms competing.  The UK legal services industry is facing unprecedented challenges as consumers increasingly expect greater choice and control, while regulatory changes are putting pressure on sub-scale providers.  The 2007 Legal Services Act (“LSA”), October 2011, permitted legal services to be offered by non-lawyer owned entities which led to the development of scaled players and a more concentrated market structure.  Against this backdrop, Palamon believes that value will accrue to players who have the scale to operate efficiently while meeting the evolving customer expectations.   Simplify has an opportunity to benefit from its scale and increase market share through organic growth and M&A.

Value creation

  • Strengthened management team: Appointed David Grossman (former CEO of BT Expedite) as CEO, Oliver Hemsley as Chairman.

  • Consolidated market: Merged with Palamon portfolio company QualitySolicitors, the largest UK legal services franchise, and acquired conveyancing business JS Law.

  • Re-focused strategy on conveyancing business: Sold Chorus Law to the Coop Legal Services Group, focusing Simplify on leading the UK’s conveyancing market

  • Transformational M&A: Completed the acquisition and merger of My Home Move, in a transaction valued at £175 million. The combined entity is the #1 player both in the traditional market and in the fast-growing online market with:

    • Best-in-class technology-led service proposition

    • Highly diversified customer and channel mix, coupled with a distributed national footprint

    • Established M&A track record in a highly fragmented and consolidating market

Today

Simplify is the UK’s leading provider of conveyancing legal services, processing more than 130,000 conveyancing cases per year.