MBM Commercial

What MBM Commercial does

MBM Commercial is an independent commercial law firm founded in 2005 and headquartered in Edinburgh, with additional offices in Glasgow and London. The firm provides legal services across corporate transactions (start-ups, capital raising, scale-ups, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, regulatory compliance, tax), commercial contracts and software, banking and finance, intellectual property, employment law and HR, commercial property, and dispute resolution. Its primary client base comprises high-growth technology and life-sciences companies, university spin-outs, investors (including Scottish National Investment Bank, BGF, Archangel Investors, Par Equity, and Mercia Ventures), mid-market firms, and large institutions across the UK and internationally. The firm claims to house the largest team of US-qualified lawyers in Scotland, providing in-house dual-qualified US/UK counsel for cross-border transactions, particularly US market entry and Delaware corporate restructurings.

The firm's business model combines traditional transactional and advisory legal fees with a growing base of productized, fixed-fee subscription services. Subscription offerings include Holistic HR (£1,950–£4,950 per year, tiered by employee headcount) and Holistic HR USA for US employment compliance; Company Secretarial Service (£675/yr) and Registered Office Services (£250/yr); the Small Print Service for SME contract support; and Red Flag Reviews for contract risk assessment. Distribution is primarily through direct engagement via the three UK offices, supplemented by a referral ecosystem built on its founding partnership in World Tech Legal and Invest2Scale and memberships in Eurojuris and the Cross Border Legal Network. Marketing is content-led, with blog posts, guides, deal announcements, events, webinars, and entrepreneurial-journey case studies targeting the UK scale-up and investor ecosystem.

Notable disclosed mandates include advising on BioLiberty's $8.2m Series A, Celtic Renewables' £40m+ raise, iGii's £8.8m investment, Kick ICT's £8.7m BGF investment, Strathberry's £8m BGF investment, Wobble Genomics' £8.5m investment, the sale of Evotix to SAI360, the sale of QikServe to the Access Group, the sale of SoConnect to Air IT, and the acquisition of Simul8 by Minitab. The firm is founder-led by Stuart Hendry (Senior Partner & Founder) and is independently owned with no disclosed external funding, PE, or parent company. It is recognized in the Legal 500 Scotland rankings and is self-described as a multi-award-winning independent commercial law firm.

Name

MBM Commercial

Legal name

MBM Commercial

Website

https://mbmcommercial.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MBM Commercial is an independent UK commercial law firm with offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and London, serving startups, scale-ups, investors, and corporates with corporate, M&A, capital raising, IP, employment, and cross-border US/UK legal services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Legal Services

akta.pro primary industry

Management Buyouts (MBO/MBI) & Sponsor-Led Transactions Advisory (FSAEAGAI)

Keywords

• Commercial legal services
• Corporate transactions
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Employment law advisory
• Intellectual property law

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Fees: MBM Commercial generates revenue through professional legal service fees for corporate, commercial, employment, IP, property, and dispute resolution services. They offer fixed fee arrangements for many services, particularly company secretarial work and the Holistic HR retainer service.
2. Fixed Fee Services: Many services are offered on a fixed fee basis, providing transparency around fees so clients can plan with confidence. Company secretarial services are priced at £675 + VAT and Holistic HR subscriptions range from £1,950 to £4,950 annually depending on staff numbers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

MBM Commercial is an independent commercial law firm providing corporate, commercial, banking, IP, employment, data, property, and dispute resolution legal services to high-growth companies, investors, and large institutions across the UK and internationally. Core transactional work includes M&A, capital raising, scale-up advisory, and US/UK cross-border matters, complemented by fixed-fee subscription offerings such as Holistic HR and Company Secretarial Service.

Product overview

MBM Commercial is a multi-award-winning independent commercial law firm, not a software product company. The firm's 'products' are legal service offerings organized into practice areas: Corporate (including Startups, Capital Raising, Scale Ups, Mergers & Acquisitions, Restructuring, Company Secretary, Tax, Regulatory Compliance), Commercial (Contracts, Software, Ecommerce), Banking & Finance, USA & International, Intellectual Property, Data, Employment Law + HR, Commercial Property, and Disputes. Notable named service products include Holistic HR and Holistic HR USA (fixed-price HR advisory retainers), the Small Print Service (subscription contract support), Red Flag Reviews (contract risk assessment), and Company Secretarial Services. The firm operates client portals for HR, Data, and Contracts access, but does not offer a software platform or API product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Holistic HR Fixed-price annual employment law and HR advice retainer service providing unlimited access to employment law experts, template employment contracts, work policies, an employment handbook, an annual review, an online policy library, and legislative updates. Targeted at SMEs that need predictable employment law support.
• Holistic HR USA Fixed annual retainer providing US employment law advice and support for UK businesses managing US-based employees, delivered by UK-based US-qualified attorneys.
• Small Print Service Subscription-based commercial contract support service for SMEs offering contract templates, training videos, guides, and a helpdesk for contract questions at a fixed price.
• Red Flag Reviews Fixed-price contract review service that identifies unusual or onerous provisions in agreements and ensures standard terms are included, helping clients understand contractual risks.
• Company Secretarial Service Annual company secretarial compliance service including confirmation statement submission, date reminders, board minutes preparation, statutory forms, AGM servicing, and maintaining company books and statutory registers. Priced at £675 + VAT per year.
• Registered Office Services Annual service for receipt and forwarding of formal correspondence, retention of statutory books, and display of the company name at the firm's Edinburgh or London registered office locations. Priced at £250 + VAT per year for existing clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Clients return and recommend the firm repeatedly due to quality of advice and relationship value

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• World Tech LegalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMBM Commercial is the Founding Partner of World Tech Legal, a global association of like-minded entrepreneurial law firms with specific expertise in the technology sector. Members span the Antipodes, Asia, North America, and Europe, providing connections to the right law firm in any jurisdiction for international technology clients.
• EurojuriscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading network of European law firms covering over 650 cities in about 50 countries worldwide. All member firms are independent, well-established, and trusted in their communities, enabling MBM to provide comprehensive European legal services through vetted partner firms.
• Cross Border Legal NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network of lawyers facilitating cross-border legal cooperation and referrals for international transactions.
• Invest2ScalecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMBM Commercial is one of the founding partners of Invest2Scale, an organization dedicated to supporting the next generation of scale-up companies. This partnership provides networking opportunities and connections between investors and scaling businesses.
• Business & Banking Litigation NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading membership organization dedicated to exchanging information and best practice in business, banking, and financial litigation.
• International Law Firm NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMBM has established relationships with trusted law firms across the world including the US, Europe (France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain), and other jurisdictions. These relationships share MBM's commercial approach and focus on quality and service delivery.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bird & Bird: International law firm with a deep technology, IP, and corporate practice and significant UK presence. Competes with MBM for tech-sector scale-up mandates, particularly on larger and cross-border transactions where MBM refers up.
• Lewis Silkin LLP: UK law firm with a strong tech, IP, employment, and corporate practice. Comparable in its focus on creative, tech, and consumer-facing businesses, with a similar mix of retainer and transactional work.
• Mishcon de Reya LLP: London-based full-service law firm with a strong corporate, technology, and disputes practice. Overlaps with MBM on UK mid-market M&A and tech-sector mandates, particularly in London.
• TLT LLP: UK commercial law firm with offices across the UK including Scotland, focused on financial services, retail, and technology clients. Competes for similar UK-wide mid-market and tech mandates.
• CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP: International full-service law firm with a strong UK and Scottish presence and a notable technology, corporate, and banking practice. Competes for larger mid-market and cross-border mandates that overlap with MBM's upper end.

Direct peers

• Marriott Harrison LLP: London boutique commercial law firm focused on technology, venture capital, and emerging companies. Closely comparable in scale, target client (tech startups and scale-ups), and service mix (corporate, IP, commercial).
• Shepherd and Wedderburn: Scottish commercial law firm with a similar corporate, commercial, and employment offering. Competes with MBM across Edinburgh and Glasgow for SME and mid-market mandates.
• Wiggin LLP: London-based boutique law firm specializing in technology, media, IP, and corporate work for tech and digital businesses. Closely comparable in size, sector focus, and scale-up client base to MBM.
• Burness Paull: Scottish full-service commercial law firm headquartered in Glasgow with a strong corporate, M&A, and technology practice. Direct competitor for mid-market Scottish transactions and scale-up advisory mandates.
• Brodies LLP: Scottish commercial law firm of comparable size and service mix (corporate, M&A, banking, IP, employment). Most direct competitor in MBM's home market, competing for the same Scottish scale-up, investor, and corporate mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mbmcommercial
• Facebookfacebook.com/mbmcommercial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mbm-commercial-llp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

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 MBM Commercial