How Higgs LLP Built the Foundation for Private Equity Investment — and Why Technology Was Central to the Story

Higgs LLP have a fascinating growth story- the 150 year-old firm secured investment from August Equity and within 4 months had completed their first post-investment acquisition, expanding into Scotland through the purchase of Vialex Limited and Navigator Employment Law Limited in Edinburgh.

At the centre of this story is Glyn Morris, the first non-lawyer partner at Higgs LLP who worked alongside the firm's CEO Nick Taylor to take the firm on the next phase of growth. In this article, we got the inside story from Glyn about that journey, including the steps the firm took to build the platform for success, how they thought about their technology investments, and what the actual process of securing PE investment looked like for the firm.

The full story: what's inside the article

  • Private Equity in UK law firms hit a record £534 million in 2024 - a 42% increase on the previous year. PE-backed firms are outpacing the UK top 50 on revenue growth.
  • Whilst there's a lot of market interest in PE, very few firms understand what makes a law firm investable, and what the actual journey of bringing onboard PE investment looks like.
  • Glyn Morris shares insights from Higgs LLP's journey, and the factors that PE investors look at in their due diligence processes that span far beyond historical financial performance, and into the deep operational, data and technology foundations at the firm.