Thousands of clients in England and Wales are expected to make compensation claims after being caught in the fallout from a Scottish firm’s collapse.

McClure Solicitors went into administration in 2021, leaving a trail of complaints about property and assets held in trust. The Gazette understands that when work in progress and the McClure assets were moved to another firm, it emerged that thousands of family protection trusts were found to be potentially invalid and needed to be redrafted. Almost four years on, clients are still struggling to secure redress and some are still unaware that the firm they used has gone under.

While the firm was founded in Greenock, it also had six offices in England and Wales and was licensed to practise on both sides of the border.

McClure

McClure Solicitors went into administration in 2021, leaving a trail of complaints about property and assets held in trust

Solicitor general Sarah Sackman KC – in response to a question from north-east MP Kate Osborne – confirmed this week that the Solicitors Regulation Authority  is investigating the former partners of WW&J McClure. But given the three directors of the firm have all taken themselves off the roll, the regulator has limited scope for action.

Instead, the Legal Ombudsman is poised to deal with complaints. The ombudsman scheme has provision for clients to make a claim against the insurance policy of a closed firm, and Sackman advised former McClure clients to explore this route.

The firm had an estimated 88,000 clients in England and Wales. It is believed around 18,000 family protection trusts were taken out in this jurisdiction.

A motion laid in parliament last year by Osborne claimed that families had been unable to sell properties because former McClure solicitors were named on the deeds of their properties.

A Facebook group set up by former McClure clients has 3,000 members. It aims to advise people on how to deal with a family trust and to highlight the issue with MPs, regulators and the police.

There has been discussion of a potential class action against McClure and test cases have been identified. The Victims of McClure Solicitors group estimates that tens of thousands of people are still unaware the firm went into administration.