On paper, Olliers Solicitors was a top-tier criminal defence firm. We were winning awards, attracting quality work and enjoying a strong reputation. But beneath the surface, I could see we were at a crossroads.
I was 53 years old and had spent 30 years at the firm.
Looking around the criminal defence sector, I saw many firms facing the same problems.
They revolved around ageing partners, lacked clear succession plans and struggled to adapt to a changing legal landscape. I was determined that Olliers would not become a relic.
While our lawyers were excellent, our strategy was scattered. We were too dependent on shrinking legal aid rates and loss-making work in courts many miles from our base.
Even where there was a strategy, it was difficult to implement because the leadership team was not always pulling in the same direction.
We were caught up in the day-to-day and lacked a cohesive vision for the future.
Having recently been named ‘Partner of the Year’ at the Manchester Legal Awards, I took a decision that many people thought was reckless.
I asked my fellow directors to step down so that I could buy them out and take on 100 per cent of the risk myself.
Overnight, I effectively became a 53-year-old startup founder, with a 30-year professional reputation on the line.
The reinvention of Olliers began with a brutally honest assessment of what worked and what did not.
While heavyweight crime and fraud would always remain at the heart of the business, I became convinced that the future lay in pre-charge representation – helping clients avoid prosecution before charges are ever brought.
Learn to say ‘no’
We had to learn to say ‘no’.
We introduced a rigorous client acceptance policy and created a dedicated fees team so that our lawyers could focus on being lawyers rather than discussing money.
We stopped chasing volume and started focusing on impact.
The results have been transformational.
Since 2018, Olliers has grown from a business turning over less than £2m to one generating £6.5m in annual fee income.
Perhaps most significantly, we have evolved from a firm that was heavily dependent on public funding to one where approximately 80 per cent of our income comes from private clients.
Of course, reinventing a business on paper is the easy part. The real challenge is bringing people with you. The ‘Year Zero’ period was, above all else, a battle for hearts and minds.
I knew change would not happen overnight. Rather than trying to convince everyone at once, I focused on the early adopters – the colleagues who were most receptive to new ways of working.
My belief was simple: if we could demonstrate success in key areas, the majority would eventually follow.
To prove the model worked, I led from the front, particularly in private pre-charge work, an area many lawyers regarded as outside their comfort zone.
Adversity was exciting
There was a great deal of scepticism about pre-charge representation and private client work. But I found the challenge energising. The adversity was exciting.
Ironically, lockdown accelerated the transformation. Court cases stalled, police resources shifted towards investigations and lawyers who had previously been reluctant to undertake private work quickly became specialists in pre-charge representation.
Those who expected it to be a damp squib soon realised it was anything but.
The mindset began to change. What if the best criminal defence lawyer is not the one who wins in court, but the one who prevents a charge from ever being brought?
One of the most important decisions I made during this period was restructuring the board. Traditionally, law firms reserve strategic decision-making for lawyers. I believed that was a mistake.
By promoting Stacey Mabrouk to commercial director and Ruth Peters to business development director, I ensured that finance, operations and business development had a genuine voice at the top table.
Every major decision would be viewed through a commercial lens as well as a legal one.
I wanted people around me who shared my vision for the future. Bringing Stacey and Ruth into the leadership team helped break the lawyers-only echo chamber and sharpened our focus on growth and excellence.
In April, Stacey and Ruth each acquired a 10 per cent equity stake in the business. That move was not simply about rewarding contribution; it was about securing Olliers’ long-term independence and future success.
Succession has always been central to my thinking. Today, Olliers employs 28 qualified solicitors, nearly a third of whom are under the age of 32. Our total headcount stands at 45.
We produce great lawyers because we invest heavily in training, accreditation and supervision.
In September 2025, more than 300 students attended our online intern day. We are not simply recruiting talent; we are building an academy.
As far as we are aware, we are the only criminal defence firm in the country with our own dedicated training academy providing comprehensive, ongoing education and development.
The programme covers technical legal skills, personal development, marketing and practice management.
Alongside this, we introduced a service pledge centred on legal brilliance and unmatched client care. Most importantly, we have lived by that pledge.
We wanted Olliers Solicitors to become synonymous with criminal defence excellence, and I believe we have achieved that goal.
Today, Olliers is ranked in the leading legal directories, recognised as a Times Best Law Firm and has won Manchester Legal Awards Crime Team of the Year on eight occasions. We are widely regarded as one of the country’s leading criminal defence practices.
I’m 62 and have no plans to sell
Despite that success, I have no desire to sell to the highest bidder. At 62, I still feel energised by the challenge of building something enduring.
We are an outstanding firm. We are debt-averse, prudent and completely focused on our clients and our people. There are no oversized egos here. Instead, there is a shared belief that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Taking on 100 per cemt of the risk at 53 was the most exhilarating and terrifying decision of my career. But it was also the only way I could guarantee that Olliers Solicitors would outlive its founder.
Looking back, that gamble paid off. More importantly, it has shown that even a long-established law firm can find a second life if it is willing to think and act like it is only just getting started.