Name

Harper James

Legal name

Harper James Limited

Website

https://harperjames.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Professional Services: Fee-based legal advice delivered through partner-level solicitors across corporate, commercial, employment, IP, and other practice areas. Revenue is generated through multiple engagement models including subscription plans and project-based work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Harper James is a UK national commercial law firm delivering business-focused legal services across corporate law, funding and investment, employee share schemes, intellectual property, IT and commercial technology, data protection, employment, banking and finance, commercial property, construction, disputes, business immigration, insolvency, and financial services regulation. Services are packaged through three subscription tiers (Engage, Enable, Extend) and a suite of fixed-fee products, with eight UK offices supporting over 8,000 businesses since 2014.

Product overview

Harper James is a national commercial law firm offering legal services exclusively to businesses through three subscription plans (Engage, Enable, Extend) and fixed-fee products. The Enable and Extend plans provide ongoing legal support with monthly credits and discounts on hourly rates, while Engage offers flexible project-based access. Core service areas include Corporate Law, Employment Share Schemes (EMI, EOTs, Growth Shares, Hurdle Shares, Phantom Shares), Funding & Investment, Intellectual Property, IT & Technology Law, and Data Protection. The firm also provides a free Knowledge Hub with over 800 articles and operates a Share Plan Management Tool for clients to manage their equity incentive schemes. The company is authorized and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA ID: 612099).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Engage Plan Flexible, pay-as-you-go access to experienced solicitors with no fixed monthly cost and competitive hourly rates (from £318 per hour) for project-by-project legal assistance, designed for businesses needing ad-hoc partner-level advice.
• Enable Plan 12-month monthly subscription priced at £239 per month including £159 of monthly credit and 50% discount on Standard Rates, designed for start-ups and smaller businesses needing ongoing legal support with predictable costs.
• Extend Plan Comprehensive annual legal subscription with dedicated account management, priority access to curated senior solicitors, and up to 33% discount on Standard Rates, designed for high-growth and established businesses.
• Fixed Fee Products Suite of fixed-fee legal products providing clarity on costs and deliverables for common legal issues, allowing businesses to scope and price discrete projects with predictable spend.
• Corporate Law Services Comprehensive corporate legal advice including M&A, corporate governance, corporate restructuring, exits and disposals, LLP agreements, and share capital matters for growth-stage and mid-market UK businesses.
• Employee Share Schemes Advisory services on employee equity incentives including EMI Share Option Schemes, Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs), Growth Shares, Hurdle Shares, Phantom Shares, and Non Tax-Advantaged Share Schemes, led by a specialist team with 25+ years' experience.
• Funding & Investment Services Legal support for fundraising activities including crowdfunding, EIS & SEIS schemes, investment agreements, pre-seed & seed funding, private equity, Series A/B/C funding rounds, term sheets, and venture capital.
• Intellectual Property Services IP protection and strategy services including copyright, design rights, IP audits, licensing, IP strategy, online brand protection, patent litigation, and trade marks for SMEs and growth businesses.
• IT & Commercial Technology Law Legal services for technology businesses covering cloud service agreements, SaaS agreements, and software licence agreements.
• Data Protection & Privacy Law Privacy and data protection compliance services including cybersecurity advisory, data breaches and incident management, data governance, DPA drafting, audits, DPIAs, GDPR compliance, training, and outsourced DPO services.
• Employment Law Employment law services including HR compliance, contracts, policies, and defending employment tribunal claims, targeted at HR leaders and business owners.
• Business Disputes Dispute resolution services covering commercial litigation, arbitration, alternative dispute resolution, debt recovery, shareholder disputes, IP disputes, professional negligence claims, and public procurement challenges.
• Banking & Finance Law Legal services across acquisition and leveraged debt, asset finance and asset-based lending, construction and development finance, debt finance, financial services regulation, and trade finance.
• Commercial Law Commercial contract and trading agreement services including agency, distribution, and supply chain agreements for SMEs and growth-stage businesses.
• Commercial Property Law Commercial property legal services including acquisitions, leases, and commercial property disputes for businesses and investors.
• Construction Law Construction and engineering legal services including contract drafting and dispute resolution for projects and contractors.
• Business Immigration Law Business immigration services including sponsor licensing support and business immigration compliance audits for UK employers.
• Insolvency & Corporate Recovery Insolvency and corporate recovery services for distressed businesses, creditors, and stakeholders navigating formal and informal recovery processes.
• Financial Services Regulation Regulatory advisory services for FCA-regulated businesses covering compliance, authorisations, and interactions with UK financial services regulators.
• Share Plan Management Tool Client-facing digital service for accessing and overseeing employee share scheme administration, led and managed by Harper James's Employee Share Schemes team.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 8,000 businesses supported since 2014
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Keystone Law: UK alternative law firm with a network of senior lawyers serving SMEs and growth-stage businesses, listed on AIM. Comparable on the distributed-lawyer business model and SME commercial focus.
• Gunnercooke: UK 'new law' firm using a distributed partner model and subscription-style engagements for SMEs and mid-market businesses. Most directly comparable to Harper James on model, target market, and pricing philosophy.
• Foot Anstey: UK national law firm with strong SME, corporate, and technology sector practices. Comparable on geographic footprint and growth-business client focus (Lottie Hugo's prior firm).
• Freeths: UK national law firm serving mid-market and growing businesses across corporate, commercial, and employment law. Comparable on multi-office UK coverage and SME/scale-up client base.

Broad incumbents

• Burges Salmon: UK full-service commercial law firm with strong corporate and technology practices. Comparable on serving growth-stage and established UK businesses across multiple practice areas.
• Mishcon de Reya: Major UK commercial law firm with strong technology, IP, and corporate practices serving high-growth and enterprise clients. Broader incumbent with overlapping SME capabilities but at higher price points.
• Bird & Bird: International law firm with leading technology, IP, and corporate practices. Comparable on technology-sector focus and commercial law capability, but operates globally at premium price points.
• Weightmans: UK national law firm serving commercial and public sector clients with strong corporate, employment, and commercial practices. Comparable on multi-office UK model and SME/mid-market focus.

Regional players

• Bevan Brittan: UK law firm with strong commercial, corporate, and regulatory practices serving mid-market and public sector clients. Comparable on UK regional commercial focus and SME/mid-market positioning.

Emerging players

• Axiom Law: Global alternative legal services provider offering flexible lawyer staffing and subscription models to in-house teams. Comparable on the alternative law delivery model, though primarily serves in-house legal teams rather than direct SME clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HarperJamesUK

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Harper James