News & Views

O'Connors advises the shareholders of Express Solicitors on private equity investment

Express Solicitors has secured private equity investment from Ufenau Capital Partners, which will accelerate growth of the booming personal injury law firm.

Hot on the heels of announcing another rise in turnover – which now stands at £88.5m, up from last year’s figure of £70.6m (including sister company Ontime Reports’ figures) – the deal will enable Express to continue its strategy of acquisition-based expansion.

James Maxey, CEO of Express Solicitors: “This is a milestone transaction for Express Solicitors. We’re in our 25th anniversary year, we’ve recently celebrated 65 internal promotions and the successful acquisitions of HNK Solicitors and Graham Coffey & Co. Solicitors.

“We’ve also seen further progression this year up The Lawyer’s UK 200 ladder – moving from #70 last year to #64, while again being ranked as Outstanding to work for by Best Companies.

“Now, our partnership with Ufenau, a private equity fund which exclusively supports buy-&-build strategies of high growth service companies, will provide the strategic and financial firepower to support the continued development of Express Solicitors while delivering best in class services to injured people.”

Ufenau will work closely with the firm’s existing management team.

Ralf Flore, Managing Partner at Ufenau, added: “We are really excited to partner with James and the team at Express Solicitors, not only does this mark Ufenau’s first platform investment in the UK market since we opened the office in 2024, it serves as a strong platform to execute our systematic buy-&-build approach, while building on our expertise in the highly fragmented sector of professional legal services.”

A team from O'Connors, led by David Malone and supported by Megan Crone, Natasha Lackner and members of the legal sector team, advised the shareholders of Express Solicitors on the private equity investment.

Commenting on O'Connors support, James Maxey said: "The unwavering support of 'Team O'Connors' was a lynchpin to the success of our transaction. A number of complex commercial and regulatory issues arose during the deal which were dealt with neatly and swiftly by the team and greatly helped us achieve a positive outcome."