Solaris Law completes acquisition of Equivo's legal services team

Solaris Law Ltd, a subsidiary of the Azzurro Group, announced that it has completed the acquisition of the Equivo Legal Services division. This acquisition marks the conclusion of a two-phase transaction that began last year, involving the integration of Shoosmith’s commercial debt recovery team into Solaris Law's new Solent office.

With this merger, Solaris Law is poised to become one of the largest specialist collections and legal debt recovery businesses in the UK. The firm will focus on diverse areas including Asset and Motor finance recoveries, Mortgage recoveries, Unsecured lending, and commercial debt recovery. The structure of Solaris Law will feature two distinct law firms: a consumer-focused firm led by Mel Chell, and a commercial law firm, which will continue under the leadership of Karen Bulgarelli, both of whom previously held partnerships at Shoosmiths.

Karen Bulgarelli, CEO of Solaris Law Ltd, highlighted the benefits of the merger for clients by stating that “we are passionate about client service and solving our client’s problems which is why we are building Solaris Law to be able to serve all the debt recovery needs of our clients.” Mel Chell also expressed enthusiasm about creating a strong legal brand in the sector, saying “we are excited to invest and build a genuine market leader in the debt recovery market."

Transitioning teams into the new business has commenced, which will now feature over 190 paralegals, lawyers, and support staff across operations in Southampton, Northampton, and Manchester. The case management platform will be standardised across all teams, with further investment anticipated in new systems and infrastructure.

The Azzurro Group operates under the oversight of both the Financial Conduct Authority and the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and has already earned recognition for being the first non-lender to join the Lending Standards Board’s Code for Business Standards. Importantly, the Field Team and High Court Enforcement Business of Equivo will remain under its existing brand and will not be included in the acquisition.