Backhouse Jones

What Backhouse Jones does

Backhouse Jones (legal entity Backhouse Jones Limited, registered in England and Wales, SRA No. 408098) is a specialist law firm providing legal services exclusively to the UK road transport industry. The firm traces its practice lineage to the Backhouse family's legal support following the 1930 Road Transport Act and was rebranded under its current name in 1999. Headquartered at The Printworks, Hey Road, Clitheroe (Lancashire), with a satellite office at 22 Greencoat Place, London, the firm operates across England and Wales advising road transport operators of HGVs, buses, coaches, and trailers. Core practice areas include Road Transport Law (O-licence applications and variations, DVSA and police investigations, Traffic Commissioner public inquiries and appeals, driver conduct hearings, environmental and health and safety prosecutions), Employment & HR Solutions, Corporate transactions involving transport businesses, Commercial contracts, Dispute Resolution (including public procurement, seized vehicles and clandestine entrant matters, debt recovery, IP and breach of contract), Claims & Recoveries for uninsured losses, Competition & Regulation (notably the trucks cartel collective proceedings), Mediation, Compliance Reviews and Company Secretarial. The firm is regularly appointed to advise the principal UK road transport trade associations — CPT, RHA, Logistics UK, BAR and IRTE.

The firm earns revenue primarily through fee-earning solicitor time at standard hourly rates of £300–£500 (excluding 20% VAT), supplemented by fixed fees for transactional and tribunal work and a tiered debt-recovery fee structure. The BACKup subscription scheme, offering 24/7 access to specialist lawyers for a fixed monthly fee across HGV, PCV, coach and non-transport segments, provides recurring revenue and broader access to smaller operators. Training and webinar revenue is generated through the wholly-owned subsidiary Back Academy Ltd and the free-to-attend BACK on Air webinar series used as a top-of-funnel lead-generation channel. Thought-leadership content (news hub, podcasts, newsletters, LinkedIn/X/Facebook presence) and trade association appointments anchor a sales-led and event-driven go-to-market motion targeting UK transport operators.

The firm is family-owned and controlled by the Backhouse family (James Backhouse, Jonathon Backhouse and Anita Backhouse), with no external parent or private equity backing, no patent portfolio, no proprietary technology platform, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities. The team comprises approximately 11–50 staff including directors, heads of department, associates, solicitors, paralegals and support. Quality signals include Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 rankings of director Steven Meyerhoff, his 2025 recognition in The Lawyer's Hot 100 list, and the historical case-law contributions of consultant solicitor John Heaton.

Name

Backhouse Jones

Legal name

Backhouse Jones Limited

Website

https://backhousejones.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1930

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Backhouse Jones is a UK specialist law firm providing legal services exclusively to road transport operators, covering O-licensing, DVSA defence, employment, corporate and dispute matters for HGV, bus and coach operators. The firm trades via Backhouse Jones Limited out of Clitheroe and London, and earns revenue from legal fees, the BACKup subscription scheme and BACK Academy training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Clitheroe

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Legal Advisory Services: Traditional legal services billed by hourly rates, fixed fees for specific matters, and fixed fees for standard processes such as employment tribunal representation and debt recovery. Standard hourly rates range from £300 to £500 per hour depending on seniority of solicitor.
2. BACKup Subscription Scheme: 24/7 subscription-based legal cover for transport operators providing fixed monthly fee access to expert lawyers for road regulatory and HR matters. Covers pinch-points of transport business operations.
3. BACK Academy Training: Training courses and webinars covering transport-specific topics such as compliance management, bridge strikes, maintenance issues, employment matters, and health and safety. Offered through live online webinars.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Backhouse Jones is a specialist law firm offering legal services exclusively focused on the UK road transport sector. The firm provides comprehensive legal advice across O-licensing, DVSA investigations, Traffic Commissioner public inquiries, employment tribunals, corporate transactions, commercial contracts, and dispute resolution. It also operates a 24/7 BACKup subscription scheme and an affiliated BACK Academy training programme.

Product overview

Backhouse Jones is a specialist law firm offering a comprehensive suite of legal services exclusively focused on the UK road transport sector. The core offering consists of practice areas including Road Transport Law (O-licensing, DVSA investigations, public inquiries), Employment & HR Solutions, Corporate, Commercial, Dispute Resolution, Claims & Recoveries, Competition & Regulation, and Mediation. The firm operates on a traditional law firm model with hourly billing and fixed fees for specific matters. Notable subscription products include the BackUp scheme providing 24/7 fixed-fee legal cover for operators, while the affiliated BACK Academy provides transport-specific training courses. The firm also runs free bi-monthly BACK on Air webinars for industry updates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BACKup: 24/7 subscription scheme for HGV, PCV, and coach operators providing fixed-fee legal cover for road regulatory and HR matters.
• BACK Academy

Products and services

• Road Transport Law Comprehensive legal services covering O-Licence applications and variations, DVSA and Police investigations and prosecutions, public inquiries before Traffic Commissioners, Traffic Commissioner appeals, driver conduct hearings, environmental and health and safety investigations for HGV, bus, and coach operators.
• Employment & HR Solutions

Quantifiable outcome

• Achieved first ever opt-in Collective Proceedings Order in Competition Appeal Tribunal for trucks cartel litigation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BACK Academy LtdcoreOthersBACK Academy is a related entity providing transport-specific training courses through live webinars. The firm offers expert-led training covering compliance management, bridge strikes, maintenance, employment matters, and health and safety topics. Training is delivered by Backhouse Jones senior lawyers.
• CPT (Confederation of Passenger Transport)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe firm is regularly appointed to advise CPT and its members on road transport regulatory matters.
• RHA (Road Haulage Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe firm advises RHA and their members on transport law matters.
• Logistics UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe firm is appointed to advise Logistics UK members on regulatory compliance and transport law.
• BAR (British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe firm advises BAR members on transport regulatory matters.
• IRTE (Institute of Road Transport Engineers)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe firm provides regulatory advice to IRTE members on transport engineering and compliance matters.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Irwin Mitchell Solicitors: Large UK full-service law firm with a transport, regulatory and insurance litigation practice advising operators and insurers on disputed claims and public inquiries — comparable transport and regulatory capability to Backhouse Jones though delivered within a national full-service footprint.
• Lyons Davidson Solicitors: Large UK full-service law firm with a dedicated transport, motoring and regulatory practice advising haulage and passenger operators on operator licensing, driver conduct and traffic law — overlapping with Backhouse Jones's core specialism but offered within a much broader service portfolio.
• Ward Hadaway Solicitors: UK regional law firm with a well-regarded regulatory and transport practice advising public and private sector clients — analogous mix of regulatory, employment and commercial work to Backhouse Jones though not exclusively focused on road transport.
• Shoosmiths Solicitors: UK full-service law firm with a transport, logistics and regulatory practice advising operators and logistics businesses on commercial, employment and regulatory matters — overlapping with Backhouse Jones's employment and commercial service lines at significantly larger scale.
• Weightmans Solicitors: UK-wide insurance and regulatory law firm with a strong transport practice advising operators, insurers and logistics businesses on regulatory defence, motor claims and employment — comparable practice areas to Backhouse Jones though delivered at significantly larger scale and broader geography.
• Thompsons Solicitors: National UK law firm with a long-standing transport, regulatory and employment practice advising operators and trade unions on regulatory defence and employment law — comparable practice areas to Backhouse Jones, particularly on the employment side.
• DWF Group plc: International full-service law firm (and acquirer of several transport-specialist practices including Chorley) with substantial transport and logistics capability serving UK operators on regulatory, employment and claims work — directly comparable to Backhouse Jones's practice mix but at vastly larger scale.

Regional players

• Brabners LLP: North West England full-service firm (headquartered near Backhouse Jones's Clitheroe base) with a transport and logistics practice that overlaps with Backhouse Jones's regulatory and commercial offering — comparable client base but competing from a larger regional footprint rather than an exclusive niche.

Direct peers

• Clarion Solicitors: Leeds-based law firm with a recognised transport and regulatory practice advising operators on O-licensing, Public Inquiries and traffic law — the closest geographic and practice-area competitor to Backhouse Jones, albeit operating within a broader commercial practice rather than as a pure transport specialist.
• Hodari Legal: Bristol-based specialist transport and motoring law firm focused on road transport regulatory defence, O-licensing and traffic offences — the closest practice-area specialist peer to Backhouse Jones in the UK market, competing for the same haulage and PCV operator clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/backhousejones
• Facebookfacebook.com/Backhouse-Jones-129108843790440
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/backhouse-jones-solicitors

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Backhouse Jones