A CITY LAW FIRM LIMITED
Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 9.1y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 9.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (72/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Key financials
1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accountsFinancials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-07-31 |
|---|---|
| Average employees | 7 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
3 signals detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Recent activity
- • 1 mortgage
Corporate timeline (32 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-27📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2026-01-27🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2025-10-30📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-10-12➖STONEMAN, Jacqueline resigneddirector
- 2025-09-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-09-08📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2025-07-10📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-07-10📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-07-10📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2025-06-09📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2025-06-05📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2025-05-30➖THOMPSON, May resignedsecretary
- 2024-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-06📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2023-10-11➖JENNINGS, Laura Louise resigneddirector
- 2022-11-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-27📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2022-09-10➕JENNINGS, Laura Louise appointeddirector
- 2022-01-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-13📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2019-07-01➕STONEMAN, Jacqueline appointeddirector
- 2019-06-11➖SPEARMAN, Andrew Gordon resigneddirector
- 2017-03-30🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2016-05-01➕SPEARMAN, Andrew Gordon appointeddirector
- 2016-01-27➖HOLDEN, Karen resignedsecretary
- 2016-01-27➕THOMPSON, May appointedsecretary
- 2009-02-09🏢Company incorporatedAs A CITY LAW FIRM LIMITED
- 2009-02-09➕HOLDEN, Karen appointeddirector
- 2009-02-09➕HOLDEN, Karen appointedsecretary
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 17 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 17 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 17 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
1 med · 1 lowMultiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.
Evidence: THOMPSON, May resigned 2025-05-30; STONEMAN, Jacqueline resigned 2025-10-12
Multiple address changes in a short period can indicate operational instability or admin disorder.
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Karen Holden Individual · British · DOB 11/1975 · age 51 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
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7 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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (1 active · 5 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 30/03/2017 | 27/01/2026 |