What we do · Go-To-Market

Operating model

The structure a law firm needs to spin out a technology business within the SRA rules: ownership, governance, the team and compliance, designed by people who have run one.

SRA compliant4 steps1 new entity
Step 01 · Regulatory map

We map every SRA rule the new business touches

Unregulated services, ownership, referral fees, conflicts and client confidentiality, each located before any structural decision is made.

the red line goes on first
Step 02 · Entity design

Ownership, board seats and IP, agreed and written down

Who owns the entity, who sits on its board, which IP the firm licenses to it, and which decisions it can take without going back to the partnership.

Step 03 · Operational playbook

The team, and the services the firm still provides

Roles and reporting lines for the people who run it, the finance, HR and IT the firm provides, and the escalation paths for when something goes wrong.

day two, planned on day one
Step 04 · Launch

Launched with the SRA position documented

The structure is tested against the rules and against a year of running it before it goes live. Below: each of the four steps, and what you are handed at the end of it.

The engagement · Four steps

Four steps from the SRA rules to a running entity

Each step ends in a document, so the structure holds up when the regulator, the partnership or an investor asks how it works.

Step 01 · Regulatory map

Every SRA rule the new business touches, mapped

Before any structural decision, each rule that bears on the new business is located and given an answer, so the design starts from the rules and every later choice can point back to them.

  • SRA requirements mapped against what the firm wants to build
  • Ownership and referral constraints located
  • The regulatory perimeter drawn clearly
The ruleWhat it means hereHow the structure handles it
Unregulated servicesWhich of the entity's services sit outside SRA regulation, and how clients are toldA plain statement in the client terms and on every engagement
Ownership and controlWho can own and control the entity, and whether a licensed body is neededAn ownership model the partnership signs off
Referral feesHow work passes between the firm and the entityWritten referral terms, disclosed to clients
ConflictsWhere the firm's clients and the entity's customers overlapOne conflicts check that covers both
Client confidentialityWhich client data the entity can see, and on what termsData-sharing terms and information barriers
Step 02 · Entity design

Ownership, the board and IP, on one chart

Who owns the entity, who sits on its board, which IP the firm licenses to it and what it can decide on its own, drawn on one sheet and written into the documents behind it.

  • Ownership and board structure agreed
  • IP licensed where it earns
  • Decision rights set down in writing
Step 03 · Operational playbook

Who provides what, from day one to year two

Roles and reporting lines for the people who run the entity, what the firm keeps providing and for how long, the escalation paths, and the plan for the first hires.

  • Roles, reporting lines and the support model
  • Escalation paths and compliance monitoring
  • A hiring plan for the first year
FunctionThe firmNewCo
Finance and payroll
HR
IT and security
Legal and compliance
Product
Engineering
Sales
Client support
An example split · every firm's is its own
Step 04 · Launch and compliance

A compliance calendar that is live at launch

The structure is tested against the rules and against a year of running it before it goes live, and the entity starts with every recurring review already in the diary.

  • Structure tested end to end
  • SRA position documented
  • Compliance calendar live from the first month
What you leave with

Four documents the new business runs on

  • Operating model

    The document that sets out how the entity works day to day.

  • Entity structure

    The chart, and the ownership, board and IP terms behind it.

  • Team structures

    Roles, responsibilities and reporting lines for the people who run it.

  • The playbook

    Support, escalation and compliance monitoring, and the plan for the first hires.

From our work

We designed a spin-out, then ran it

For a Top 50 global firm we designed the operating model for its legal technology spin-out, stayed on as fractional COO through the pilot, and led the business as acting CEO when the previous CEO left. The structure we design for you is one we would be willing to run.

Read the spin-out case studyWhy we think spin-outs matter

Phases, adviser to acting CEO
3
Global law firm
Top 50
Our role by the end
CEO
The first step

Structure your spin-out

Tell us what the firm wants to build and we will sketch the structure with you.