Birkett Long

What Birkett Long does

Birkett Long LLP was a UK-based limited liability partnership providing legal advisory services, headquartered in Colchester. Founded in 1821, the firm operated across multiple practice areas including corporate, employment, real estate, banking, business tax, and private client services, serving both individual and business clients primarily in the East of England region. With a headcount of 51–100 employees, Birkett Long functioned as a mid-sized regional law firm delivering services through direct client engagement with legal advisers.

On 13 June 2025, Birkett Long LLP was acquired by Knights Professional Services Limited, a publicly listed UK legal services consolidator trading as 'Knights'. The acquisition terminated Birkett Long's status as an independent entity, with client services continuing unchanged post-transaction and custody of important client documents (wills, property deeds) transferred to Knights. The firm now operates as part of Knights' broader network rather than as a standalone practice.

No proprietary technology platform, AI capabilities, or technology-driven differentiators are disclosed. The business model is the standard professional services model: fee-for-service legal advice billed against time and matter complexity, with revenue derived from individual clients, SMEs, and corporate clients across its practice areas. As a post-acquisition entity, Birkett Long's commercial trajectory is now embedded within Knights' regional consolidation strategy.

Name

Birkett Long

Legal name

Birkett Long LLP

Website

https://birkettlong.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1821

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Birkett Long LLP was a UK-based, Colchester-headquartered regional law firm (founded 1821, 51–100 employees) offering corporate, employment, real estate, banking, and private client legal services. It was acquired by Knights Professional Services Limited in June 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK)

Keywords

• Legal advisory services
• Corporate law
• Private client services
• Real estate law
• Employment law

Headquarters

HQ city

Colchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Birkett Long LLP was a UK-based law firm providing multi-disciplinary legal advisory services to both individuals and businesses. Practice areas included corporate, commercial, employment, banking, business tax, real estate, private client, dispute resolution, immigration, intellectual property, residential property, and restructuring & insolvency matters. The firm was acquired by Knights Professional Services Limited on 13 June 2025 and continues to deliver services under the Knights umbrella.

Product overview

Birkett Long LLP was a UK-based legal and professional services firm providing legal advisory services. Following its acquisition by Knights Professional Services Limited on 13 June 2025, the firm continues to operate under Knights' umbrella while maintaining its existing client services. As a law firm, Birkett Long offered expertise across multiple legal disciplines including corporate, employment, private client, real estate, and regulatory matters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate & Commercial Law Services

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Knights Professional Services LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 June 2025Birkett Long LLP was acquired by Knights Professional Services Limited (trading as 'Knights') on 13 June 2025. For Birkett Long clients, this did not change the current services being provided at the time of acquisition. Documents held in safe custody (wills, property deeds) were transferred to Knights' safekeeping.

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights1 record

Emerging players

• Co-op Legal Services: Alternative business structure (ABS) providing private client and legal services nationally. Comparable to Birkett Long's private client practice but differentiates through digital delivery and lower-cost pricing models, representing competitive pressure on traditional regional firms.

Broad incumbents

• Irwin Mitchell: National UK law firm with broad corporate, real estate, employment, and private client practices. Broader geographic and practice coverage than Birkett Long but competes for the same UK regional and SME clients.
• Weightmans LLP: UK national law firm with strong regional presence offering corporate, real estate, employment, and private client services. Competes with Birkett Long for the same mid-market and regional clients, though at a larger scale.
• QualitySolicitors: UK national network of law firms offering corporate, real estate, employment, and private client services. Comparable to Birkett Long in serving SMEs and individuals across UK regions, though operating through a franchise/network model.
• Taylor Rose Solicitors: National UK law firm (also acquired by Knights) offering private client and real estate services. Comparable in multi-practice approach and was a parallel Knights acquisition, making it structurally similar to Birkett Long post-acquisition.

Direct peers

• Ashtons Legal: East Anglian regional law firm providing corporate, commercial, real estate, and private client services. Comparable to Birkett Long in regional positioning, multi-practice offering, and client base of individuals, owner-managed businesses, and SMEs.
• Knights Professional Services: Parent company and direct acquirer of Birkett Long in June 2025. Knights is a UK national full-service law firm with a comparable multi-practice offering (corporate, real estate, employment, private client), making it the most directly comparable peer and now the operating umbrella for Birkett Long.
• Birketts LLP: East of England regional law firm headquartered in Ipswich offering corporate, real estate, employment, and private client services. Directly comparable in geography, size, and practice mix to Birkett Long, competing for the same regional SME and HNW clients.
• Hewitsons LLP: East Midlands-based regional law firm offering corporate, real estate, employment, and private wealth services. Comparable in size, full-service structure, and target market of owner-managed businesses and high-net-worth individuals to Birkett Long.
• Foot Anstey LLP: South West and London regional law firm with comparable practice areas (corporate, real estate, private client, employment) and similar mid-market positioning. Direct competitor for UK regional legal work and comparable in scale to Birkett Long.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/birkettlong
• Facebookfacebook.com/birkettlong

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Birkett Long