In the heart of Mayfair, Alius Law is shaking up the legal industry with a different approach to the traditional structure of a law firm, where the motto is “happy and fulfilled lawyers work hard”.
Founded during the first lockdown of the pandemic by Bree Taylor, a former partner at Fladgate, the firm is discarded the traditional law firm model in favour of a leaner, more client-focused practice.
The idea behind this legal upheaval is a seasoned litigation lawyer who has seen firsthand the frustrations of the conventional law firm setup.
“Having been involved in law firm management for a long time, I knew that so many things could be done better and partners should focus more of their attention on their clients rather than on distracting tasks,” Taylor told City A.M.
The vast majority of large commercial law firms are structured as limited liability partnerships (LLPs), which sees a person promoted or joining the partnership of a law firm agree to stake a sum of money in order to buy into the firm and receive profits.
One of the major pain points in the traditional model, according to Taylor, is the high overhead costs that erode partner profits. “Large law firms have very high overhead costs and these erode partner profits for partners who often do not even benefit from all the things they are helping to pay for,” she explained.
At Alius Law, everyone has a financial interest in the business. The lawyers are initially part of a profit share plan and then they become shareholders. The partners run their own P&L and that means deciding themselves what resources to allocate to what matters and then keeping the major share of the profit that is generated.
“Everyone pulls together and works hard knowing they will see that hard work pay off,” noted Taylor.
Bree Taylor, partner, Alius Law
Taylor set up the business with two associates, Reece Davison and Lisle Chase in January 2021, with John Ford joining from Fladgate in March. Recently, also from Fladgate, Ben Drew, who was the former co-head of the insolvency and restructuring group, joined Alius Law.
“We have found excellent and cost-effective suppliers to whom we outsource things such as accounting, reprographics, post/couriers and typing. The overheads are as lean as they can be and yet we have everything we ever had before, probably more,” explained Taylor.
Alius Law focuses exclusively on high-value and complex commercial disputes, including shareholder disputes, fraud cases, trust disputes, and insolvency claims.
The founder emphasised: “One of the major problems of the traditional law firm model is that it puts totally different practice areas into one organisation under the same management.” By concentrating solely on litigation, Alius Law ensures unparalleled expertise and efficiency in handling disputes.
In a saturated market, the business is aiming to stand out by delivering faster and more cost-effective results. “We aren’t billing for big teams of lawyers. When clients hire an Alius Law Partner, they’re getting the partner, their experience, and their brain power,” Taylor asserted.
On the appetite from clients for this type of setup, Taylor said “based on the frequency with which we are asked to give a second opinion or take over a case from a larger firm, I would say yes definitely.”
Alius Law is in growth mode and aiming to widen its net and welcome lawyers who may not have an extensive client base but possess the right personality and attitude.