Loading up the truck, page-3051

Interesting article. Some positive outlooks there but fundamentally flawed. Total failure to appreciate and understand the legal environment in the U.K. Fast track PI claims are now process driven and commoditised in the UK! It ain't stopping there. That is what S&G do. Turnaround times are significantly shorter and the fee income prescribed - fixed & certain staged fee payments. Scale and systemisation is everything in such an environment. WIP turnaround more predictable. Not so with general law services and complex claims. All three have major distinctions. The article is really about the latter two but which areas are under similar pressure from GO to become more systemised process driven with staged fixed fees. Consultation process already in play.

The UK legal market is fragmented. Whilst anyone can indeed set up it ain't a easy. Competition is rife overheads huge and increasingly so small is long out of favour with regulators and cannot survive. Cannot get insurance cover and cannot scale up volume to make the work pay within the changing legal landscape.

The legal market is without doubt consolidating listed or not - larger firms are swallowing up smaller firm in seeking to grow and increase revenue. Listing makes it easier to do with equity cash which does indeed provide a commercial advantage.

S&G has acquired leading market share of the work in Aus and UK because of it and there remains further opportunity. That has grown revenue. Can be no doubt about that. SGS provides a platform to further commoditise this sort of work and also diversifies the S&G business so it's not all dependent on lawyering and case work, it brings together law and insurance and other related service sectors with a degree of synergy.

Long way to go yet but they have a stable of services now under one roof just needs consolidating. With that comes economies and cashflow/increased profitability.