THE EUROPEAN LAWYER LIMITED
⚰️Wound downdissolved
04165015 · ltd · incorporated 2001-02-21
Investment thesis
Company dissolved — not a live target.
Why interesting: Historical record only; useful for precedent research.
Why risky: Not transactable.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
53/100
Worth a look
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 2213
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed unclear — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 53/100 (worth a look), bankability 50/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 79). Asset purchase likely safer than share purchase given structural signals. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Company dissolved. Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (50/100). Current lenders should be on monthly review.
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 24.7y
40/100
too messy
Structure is too messy for a clean refinance right now — clean up first or expect bespoke terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 24.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 45/100 (high).
Data confidence
Overall: low (46/100)Sparse data coverage. Treat AI-generated outputs as preliminary. Manual diligence essential.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
10 officers (3 active, 10 linked, 5 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
No PSCs filed (unusual — worth investigating)
35
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
46 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
53/100Worth a look
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.
Business quality
10
Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
49
Multiple red flags — proceed with caution.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (46 events)Click to expand
- 2012-01-26⚠️gazette-dissolved-liquidationgazette · GAZ2
- 2012-01-26🏁Company dissolved
- 2011-10-26⚠️liquidation-in-administration-move-to-dissolution-with-case-end-dateinsolvency · 2.35B
- 2009-09-21⚠️liquidation-in-administration-progress-report-with-brought-down-dateinsolvency · 2.24B
- 2009-04-20⚠️liquidation-in-administration-proposalsinsolvency · 2.17B
- 2009-03-05⚠️liquidation-in-administration-appointment-of-administratorinsolvency · 2.12B
- 2008-09-29📄legacyofficers · 288a
- 2008-09-29📄legacyofficers · 288b
- 2008-09-16📄legacyannual-return · 363a
- 2008-08-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2008-08-28📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2008-07-30➕MAIO, Irene appointedsecretary
- 2008-07-30➖DIXON, William resigneddirector
- 2007-11-07📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2007-11-04📄legacycapital · 88(2)R
- 2007-06-01📄legacycapital · 88(2)R
- 2007-06-01📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2007-05-01📄legacyannual-return · 363a
- 2007-02-28📄legacymortgage · 395
- 2007-02-26🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Burford City Properties (2006) Limited
- 2007-01-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2006-02-28📄legacyannual-return · 363s
- 2005-10-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2005-05-05📄legacyannual-return · 363s
- 2004-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2004-11-12📄legacyofficers · 288b
- 2004-11-03➖O`SULLIVAN, Michele resignedsecretary
- 2004-03-15📄legacyofficers · 288a
- 2004-03-08➕O`SULLIVAN, Michele appointedsecretary
- 2004-02-09📄legacyannual-return · 363s
- 2003-11-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2002-03-12➕WILKINS, Patrick Dennis appointedsecretary
- 2002-02-21➖WORMELL, Richard Oliver Wilson resignedsecretary
- 2001-09-24🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2001-07-23➖LYLE SMITH, Pauline resigneddirector
- 2001-07-23➖LYONS, Charles resigneddirector
- 2001-02-27➕WILKINS, Patrick Dennis appointeddirector
- 2001-02-27➖TURNER, Brian Richard resignedsecretary
- 2001-02-27➕WORMELL, Richard Oliver Wilson appointedsecretary
- 2001-02-27➕DIXON, William appointeddirector
- 2001-02-27➖GORDON, James Douglas Strachan resigneddirector
- 2001-02-27➕LYLE SMITH, Pauline appointeddirector
- 2001-02-27➕LYONS, Charles appointeddirector
- 2001-02-21🏢Company incorporatedAs THE EUROPEAN LAWYER LIMITED
- 2001-02-21➕TURNER, Brian Richard appointedsecretary
- 2001-02-21➕GORDON, James Douglas Strachan appointeddirector
Owner dependency
100/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 25 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 79 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
100/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 79 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 25 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 25 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
2 high ·Company dissolved
highCompany has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only.
Evidence: Dissolved on 2012-01-26
5 insolvency-related filings on record
highFilings relating to insolvency, liquidation, or administration exist in the company's history. Review before proceeding.
Evidence: 2012-01-26: gazette-dissolved-liquidation; 2011-10-26: liquidation-in-administration-move-to-dissolution-with-case-end-date
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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
11 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →🔒Advanced scoring suite
Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Statusdissolved
Typeltd
Incorporated2001-02-21
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC2213 — SIC 2213
Registered office
22 Great James Street
London
WC1N 3ES
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: —
Last made up to: 2007-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: —
Last: —
Officers (0 active · 7 resigned)
Active
WILKINS, Patrick Dennis→
Activesecretary · appointed 2002-03-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WILKINS, Patrick Dennis→
Activedirector · ~79y · appointed 2001-02-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
O`SULLIVAN, Michele→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2004-03-08 · resigned 2004-11-03
TURNER, Brian Richard→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2001-02-21 · resigned 2001-02-27
WORMELL, Richard Oliver Wilson→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2001-02-27 · resigned 2002-02-21
DIXON, William→
Resigneddirector · ~73y · appointed 2001-02-27 · resigned 2008-07-30
GORDON, James Douglas Strachan→
Resigneddirector · ~65y · appointed 2001-02-21 · resigned 2001-02-27
LYLE SMITH, Pauline→
Resigneddirector · ~80y · appointed 2001-02-27 · resigned 2001-07-23
LYONS, Charles→
Resigneddirector · ~80y · appointed 2001-02-27 · resigned 2001-07-23
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Burford City Properties (2006) Burford City Properties (2006) Limited | Rent deposit deed | 1 property | 26/02/2007 | — | |
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 24/09/2001 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (46 total)
gazette-dissolved-liquidation
gazette · GAZ2
2012-01-26
liquidation-in-administration-move-to-dissolution-with-case-end-date
insolvency · 2.35B
2011-10-26
liquidation-in-administration-progress-report-with-brought-down-date
insolvency · 2.24B
2009-09-21
liquidation-in-administration-proposals
insolvency · 2.17B
2009-04-20
liquidation-in-administration-appointment-of-administrator
insolvency · 2.12B
2009-03-05
legacy
officers · 288a
2008-09-29
legacy
officers · 288b
2008-09-29
legacy
annual-return · 363a
2008-09-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2008-08-28
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2008-08-28
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2007-11-07
legacy
capital · 88(2)R
2007-11-04
legacy
capital · 88(2)R
2007-06-01
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2007-06-01
legacy
annual-return · 363a
2007-05-01