A Liverpool firm has been plunged into administration just 16 months after doubling its headcount and moving into new city centre offices.
A notice on the website of High Street Solicitors states that administrators from insolvency firm Quantuma were appointed last week. All client files will transfer to another Liverpool-based firm, Angelus Law, under a pre-pack sale arrangement.
The administrators have also appointed a dedicated solicitor manager from national firm Pinsent Masons to assist clients.
High Street Solicitors was founded in 2009 but embarked on rapid expansion last year when it moved into 14,875 sq ft offices on the third floor at 1 Tithebarn Street.
The firm planned to create 80 new jobs, including solicitors and heads of department, to create a total workforce of more than 150. A recruitment evening was held at a bowling alley where senior staff were available to chat about job roles at High Street Solicitors.
Frank Gibbons, senior practice manager, said at the time of the office move that the firm aimed to be ‘one of the market leaders across the country with our innovative ideas’.
Around the same time, the firm said it would open training contract submissions for two new recruits due to start last August.
The most recent accounts for High Street Solicitors Ltd, for the year ended 30 April 2022, show the business had net assets of £4.6m – up from £3.55m a year before.
The firm owed £6m within the year but had assets of £19m owed, an increase of 22% in the year.
According to its LinkedIn profile, the firm had 12,000 clients and over three years had expanded to 10 practice areas, including housing disrepair, financial mis-selling and data breaches.
Angelus Law Ltd, previously known as Quanta Legal Limited until February 2018, has the same address as High Street Solicitors and operates in similar practice areas.
One of its directors, Thomas Hardwick, was appointed in May 2020 and is also a director with High Street Solicitors Ltd.
In February, it was reported that Angelus Law was seeking to create 100 extra jobs in Manchester after taking 4,500 sq ft of office space in the city centre.
