Burton Copeland
Burton Copeland is a UK criminal defence and regulatory law firm headquartered in Manchester with a Preston office, serving individuals facing criminal charges, regulated professionals, and corporate clients in fraud and white-collar matters across England and Wales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersManchester, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Burton Copeland does
Burton Copeland is a specialist criminal defence and regulatory law firm headquartered in Manchester, England, with a second office in Preston, founded around 1988. The firm operates with 51-100 total staff and 25+ fee earners, offering criminal defence (general crime, sexual offences, drug offences, murder and manslaughter), police station representation available 24/7, regulatory and professional discipline work (SRA, GMC, and other regulatory bodies), serious fraud and corporate crime, plus dedicated Money Laundering Defence, Health & Safety and Environmental law, FCA investigations, and HMRC investigations practices. Burton Copeland is SRA-regulated and holds Lexcel accreditation, the Law Society's practice management standard.
The firm serves three principal client segments: individuals facing criminal investigation or prosecution (including high-profile public figures such as footballers Shaun Wright-Phillips and Joey Barton, and entertainer Bradley Walsh), regulated professionals facing disciplinary proceedings, and corporate or high-net-worth clients in white-collar and financial crime matters. Revenue is generated through a mix of privately funded hourly fee work, fixed fees for defined services, and legal aid contracts, in line with standard UK specialist criminal defence economics. The firm's brand has been formalised through inclusion in the 2025 Legal 500 Leading Firm rankings and the 2025 Times Best Law Firms list, supported by a sustained 318 Google review footprint.
Burton Copeland's competitive positioning is built on specialist human expertise and accumulated reputational capital rather than technology, automation, or scale advantages. Recent observable activity indicates a deliberate capacity buildout, with six named fee-earner hires between July 2024 and May 2026 and a broadening of the service catalogue into financial-services regulatory defence. The firm does not disclose revenue, headcount trends, or proprietary technology assets in the available data, and operates entirely as a privately held partnership without external funding or acquisition activity.
Burton Copeland firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Burton Copeland
- Legal name
- Burton Copeland (Manchester) Ltd
- Website
- https://burtoncopeland.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Burton Copeland is a UK criminal defence and regulatory law firm headquartered in Manchester with a Preston office, serving individuals facing criminal charges, regulated professionals, and corporate clients in fraud and white-collar matters across England and Wales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Burton Copeland industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Criminal Defence Legal Services
- NAICS
- Offices of Lawyers (54111), Offices of Lawyers (541110)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG)
Keywords
Where Burton Copeland is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manchester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Burton Copeland business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Legal Aid: Publicly funded legal representation for eligible clients under government legal aid schemes.
- Private Funding / Insurance-Backed Funding: Privately funded legal services billed hourly or at fixed fee, with some clients covered by insurance policies for legal costs.
- Hourly Rate Billing: Fee earners' time recorded in six-minute units; hourly rate depends on seniority of fee earner and complexity of matter. Applied to research, evidence review, drafting, meetings, telephone calls, correspondence, advocacy, waiting and travel.
- Fixed Fee: For insurance or privately funded matters, work may be carried out for an agreed fixed fee quoted in the first letter to the client.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Monthly | Hourly rate billing based on fee earner seniority and matter complexity |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Fixed fee for insurance or privately funded matters |
| Subscription | Monthly | Legal Aid for eligible clients |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Burton Copeland product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Burton Copeland is a specialist criminal and regulatory defence law firm providing legal representation across the full spectrum of criminal law — from 24/7 police station advice through to Magistrates Court, Crown Court and Court of Appeal proceedings — alongside white-collar financial crime and fraud defence, professional discipline representation for regulated professionals, driving offence defence, confiscation and asset recovery, and pre-charge engagement. Services are delivered by a team of senior partners and 25+ fee earners (solicitors, police station representatives, legal executives and paralegals), funded through Legal Aid, insurance-backed funding and private retainer.
Product overview
Burton Copeland is a criminal defence and regulatory law firm offering a comprehensive suite of legal services. The firm operates as a unified full-service criminal law practice rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its core offering spans criminal defence (from police station advice through to Court of Appeal), white collar financial crime and fraud, professional discipline defence for regulated professionals, driving offences, and associated services such as confiscation and asset recovery, inquests, and DBS matters. The portfolio is anchored by criminal defence and white collar fraud work, supported by specialist professional discipline teams covering healthcare, legal, financial, and other regulated sectors. All services are delivered by qualified solicitors with 24/7 availability.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Criminal Defence Full-spectrum criminal defence representation from initial arrest, police station advice and pre-charge engagement through to Magistrates Court, Crown Court and Court of Appeal proceedings; available 24/7. For individuals and organisations accused of criminal offences.
- Appeals and Miscarriages of Justice Specialist appellate and miscarriage-of-justice legal services for clients seeking to challenge convictions or sentences. For convicted individuals and their families.
- Police Interview Advice Legal advice and representation during police station interviews, available 24/7. For individuals detained or invited to attend a police station for interview.
- Driving Offences Defence Defence for road traffic offences including dangerous driving, drink driving, drug driving, speeding, totting-up bans, vehicle defects and taxi licence offences. For motorists at risk of losing their driving licence.
- Confiscation and Asset Recovery Legal representation in confiscation proceedings and asset recovery under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA). For individuals and companies facing asset restraint or confiscation post-conviction.
- Conspiracy to Commit Crime Offences Defence for conspiracy to commit crime allegations. For individuals and groups accused of conspiratorial criminal conduct.
- White Collar Financial Crime & Fraud Defence for white-collar crime and fraud including banking fraud, boiler room fraud, business fraud, credit card fraud, creditor fraud, HMRC investigations, insider trading, insurance fraud, mortgage fraud, revenue fraud, Serious Fraud Office investigations and VAT fraud. For directors, professionals and companies facing fraud allegations.
- Money Laundering Defence Defence for money laundering allegations, including placement, layering and integration offences, plus anti-money laundering advice for businesses. For individuals and corporate entities.
- Professional Discipline Representation for regulated professionals facing disciplinary proceedings before regulators covering accountants, architects, care home owners, chiropractors, clergy, company directors, dentists, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, teachers, security industry workers and others. For regulated professionals whose registration is at risk.
- Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Advice and representation in Disclosure and Barring Service matters and barred list representations. For individuals facing DBS checks, disclosure or being placed on barred lists.
- Inquests Legal representation at inquests. For bereaved families, witnesses, employers and other interested parties to coronial proceedings.
- Pre-Charge Engagement Legal advice and representation during the pre-charge phase of criminal investigations, helping clients engage with authorities before charges are brought. For individuals and companies under investigation but not yet charged.
- Trading Standards Defence
- HMRC Investigations
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Investigations
- Health & Safety and Environmental
Quantifiable outcome
- 318 client reviews with an Excellent rating on Google, reflecting consistently positive client outcomes and satisfaction.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Burton Copeland
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Burton Copeland technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Burton Copeland partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Burton Copeland competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- David Phillips & Partners: Specialist criminal defence firm with a long-standing reputation in serious and complex crime, including fraud and regulatory matters. A direct UK-wide competitor for Burton Copeland's higher-end criminal defence mandates.
- Olliers Solicitors: Manchester-based criminal defence firm offering a directly comparable mix of general criminal defence, motoring offences, and serious fraud work. Shares Burton Copeland's Greater Manchester base and 24/7 police station model, making it the closest local direct competitor.
- Tuckers Solicitors: One of the UK's largest criminal defence practices, operating nationally with a deep police station and Crown Court bench. Comparable in its mix of serious crime, fraud, and professional discipline work, and a leading comparator for Burton Copeland's white-collar and SFO practice.
- Cartwright King Solicitors: Mid-sized UK criminal defence firm operating across multiple regional offices with a similar mix of police station, Crown Court and driving offence work. Comparable in scale and service breadth to Burton Copeland outside London.
- Reeds Solicitors: National criminal defence firm with a multi-office UK footprint covering police station, magistrates, Crown Court and motoring work. Closely comparable in practice mix and geographic coverage to Burton Copeland's two-office model.
- Bindmans LLP: London firm with a well-regarded criminal defence and regulatory practice, including professional discipline and inquests. Comparable to Burton Copeland in the regulated-professional and serious crime segments.
- Hickman & Rose: London-headquartered criminal and regulatory defence firm with a strong serious fraud, business crime and professional discipline practice. Direct competitor for Burton Copeland's white-collar, FCA and SFO work from a higher-value London client base.
- Kingsley Napley: London full-service firm with a flagship criminal and regulatory defence practice covering serious crime, fraud, and professional discipline. Comparable to Burton Copeland in the regulated-professional niche and in white-collar/SFO defence.
Regional players
- JMW Solicitors: Manchester-headquartered full-service firm with a criminal defence and regulatory team competing in the same Greater Manchester catchment. Overlaps with Burton Copeland locally but does not specialise exclusively in criminal defence.
Broad incumbents
- Slater and Gordon (UK): Large national consumer-facing law firm with a substantial criminal defence and motoring offences practice. Comparable to Burton Copeland in volume criminal and driving work, with a much broader service portfolio and stronger consumer brand.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Burton Copeland social profiles
Digital presenceBurton Copeland financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Burton Copeland leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Burton Copeland funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Burton Copeland M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Burton Copeland
What does Burton Copeland do?
Burton Copeland is a specialist criminal and regulatory defence law firm providing legal representation across the full spectrum of criminal law — from 24/7 police station advice through to Magistrates Court, Crown Court and Court of Appeal proceedings — alongside white-collar financial crime and fraud defence, professional discipline representation for regulated professionals, driving offence defence, confiscation and asset recovery, and pre-charge engagement. Services are delivered by a team of senior partners and 25+ fee earners (solicitors, police station representatives, legal executives and paralegals), funded through Legal Aid, insurance-backed funding and private retainer.
Is Burton Copeland a public or private company?
Burton Copeland is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Burton Copeland founded?
Burton Copeland was founded in 1988. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Burton Copeland based?
Burton Copeland is headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Burton Copeland make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Legal Aid is the primary driver. The others are private Funding / Insurance-Backed Funding, hourly Rate Billing and fixed Fee.
Who are Burton Copeland's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are David Phillips & Partners, Olliers Solicitors, Tuckers Solicitors, Cartwright King Solicitors, Reeds Solicitors, Bindmans LLP, Hickman & Rose and Kingsley Napley. JMW Solicitors is listed as a regional player. Slater and Gordon (UK) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Burton Copeland have an API?
No public API is recorded for Burton Copeland.
What industry is Burton Copeland in?
Burton Copeland's product category is Criminal Defence Legal Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHALAG, Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services. Its NAICS code is 54111 and its SIC code is 8111.