EPS LEGAL SERVICES LTD
💤Zombieactive
11935629 · ltd · incorporated 2019-04-09
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Sept 2024
Net worth
£526
book net assets
Opportunity
76/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Activities of patent and copyright agents; other legal activities
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 65-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 76/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (60/100, director aged 65). 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 (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: high (81/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
2 officers (1 active, 2 linked, 2 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
7 connected companies via shared directors
66
Filing history
25 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
76/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
65
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £526
Net assets shrinking
Down £371 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£526
↓ 41% YoY
Current Assets
£15k
↓ 65% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-09-30 | 2023-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £526 | £897 |
| Current assets | £15.4k | £43.4k |
| Net assets | £526 | £897 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (21 events)Click to expand
- 2025-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-15📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2023-06-12📄change-account-reference-date-company-current-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2022-06-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2022-06-16📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2022-03-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-17📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2022-01-14✏️certificate-change-of-name-companychange-of-name · CERTNM
- 2021-06-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2020-09-24📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2019-05-13📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2019-05-13📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2019-05-13📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2019-05-13📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2019-04-12📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2019-04-09🏢Company incorporatedAs EPS LEGAL SERVICES LTD
- 2019-04-09➕DODSWORTH, Paul John appointeddirector
- 2019-04-09➕DUKE, Michael appointeddirector
- 2019-04-09➖DUKE, Michael resigneddirector
- 2019-04-09📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
Owner dependency
90/100
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.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
65/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Paul John Dodsworth Individual · British · DOB 10/1961 · age 65 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 09/04/2019 |
Miss Megan Sophia Dodsworth Individual · British · DOB 06/2001 · age 25 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 15/03/2024 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Fd Secretarial Ltdceased 09/04/2019· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
🔒Co-director network graph
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
Active · Professional services · M postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC SUBSEA MARINE LTD→ 12069633 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ACAP MARKETING LTD→ 16145538 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ACCESSORY WORLD PRESTWICH LIMITED→ 07967810 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| ACCOUNTANCY RISK LIMITED→ 12510288 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ACCOUNTANCYNET LTD→ 13854393 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ACCOUNTANTS MANCHESTER LTD→ 16538360 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACCOUNTING ADVANTAGE LIMITED→ 07744854 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| ACCOUNTING SOLUTION MANAGEMENT LTD→ 16532713 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACCOUNTINGIN LTD→ 16912163 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACCOUNTS AND BUSINESSES SERVICES LIMITED→ 16083016 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ACCUMULATE CONSULTING LIMITED→ 08376335 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| ACCURATE SERVICES LIMITED→ 10192218 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 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
Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2019-04-09
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC69109 — Activities of patent and copyright agents; other legal activities
Registered office
77 School Lane
Didsbury
Manchester
Greater Manchester
M20 6WN
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last made up to: 2024-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-01
Last: 2026-01-18
Officers (1 active · 1 resigned)
DODSWORTH, Paul John→
Activedirector · ~65y · appointed 2019-04-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DUKE, Michael→
Resigneddirector · ~67y · appointed 2019-04-09 · resigned 2019-04-09
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (25 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-06-17
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-03-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-26
change-account-reference-date-company-current-extended
accounts · AA01
2023-06-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-06-28
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-06-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-03-10
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-18
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2022-01-17
certificate-change-of-name-company
change-of-name · CERTNM
2022-01-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-17