Metamorph ditches Quality Solicitors as network bought out

A law firm network that once promised to shake up the high street has changed hands again as part of the fire sale of the struggling Metamorph Group.

Quality Solicitors said today it has been bought out by its management duo Victoria Browning and Paul Rawson, who have pledged to grow the membership.

The business was bought by Metamorph in July 2021 and added it to a roster of 12 firms across England. Last month one Metamorph firm, Beaumont ABS Ltd, went into liquidation and there is speculation that three more may be put into administration. Quality Solicitors had previously been owned by conveyancing firm Simplify, which yesterday announced potential redundancies blaming a slowdown in the housing market.

Quality Solicitors was launched in 2009 as an internet-based alliance of practices, many of which rebranded under its name. At its peak, the network had extended to more than 100 firms, but that number is now down to 40. Members pay for lead generation, marketing and digital marketing services, compliance and back office support. Its call centre processes more than 1,000 leads each month and the website has a million visitors a year.

Browning and Rawson, who are now the only directors, said they have taken on a country-wide review of activities and will use the management buy-out to build stronger client relationships and launch new services.

Browning, who joined the business in 2016, said: ‘We’re all very excited about this opportunity to enable the member network to grow, with some innovative new ideas coming very soon. We’ll now have an opportunity to focus purely on growing our network and the services that we offer, but still remaining a trusted partner to our loyal network of firms.’

According to Companies House updates, Metamorph Group relinquished control of Quality Solicitors last week, with executive chairman Tony Stockdale terminating his appointment as director on the same day.

The company’s most recently published accounts, covering the year ended 31 March 2021, show that Quality Solicitors had net liabilities of around £553,000, with assets of £251,000 but £831,000 owed to creditors within one year.

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