Lawstop

What Lawstop does

Lawstop is a UK-based law firm (trading name of J H B Law Ltd., Company Reg No 10677382), founded in 2018 and headquartered in Worthing, West Sussex, that delivers Legal Aid-funded and private legal services across five specialist practice areas: housing (including homelessness, disrepair, possession, and Housing Act appeals), community care, public law (judicial review), education (SEND, EHCP, school admissions and exclusions), and immigration (asylum, visas, ILR, citizenship). The firm is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA number 638349) and holds Legal Aid Agency contracts that permit government-funded representation for qualifying clients, alongside fixed-fee private services ranging from £550 to £3,000 and hourly initial consultations at £150-£300.

The firm operates through 10 physical offices across England (Worthing, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Penryn, Nottingham, two London locations, Taunton, Crawley, and Birkenhead) plus hybrid and remote service delivery, with a headcount of over 80 named individuals across a core team and five practice-area departments. Customer acquisition is sales-led and community-led in parallel: direct enquiries via phone (020 8150 2588) and email ([email protected]), Legal Aid Agency contract referrals, word-of-mouth, and an outreach programme of free Zoom training sessions for frontline advisers and community events (Brighton Legal Walk, Sussex Homeless Support). Technology is described as standard legal practice and case management systems with no proprietary technology components.

The business model is a hybrid: Legal Aid Agency contracts provide a recurring, government-funded revenue stream for means-tested clients, while private fixed-fee services and hourly consultations generate non-Legal-Aid income from clients who do not qualify for public funding (most visibly in immigration, where ten distinct service lines are priced publicly). Marketing channels are organic social (Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn), email newsletter, content marketing on the website, PR on successful cases, and community activation. There is no evidence of external investors, funding rounds, M&A activity, or parent company ownership; the firm operates as a bootstrapped private limited company.

Name

Lawstop

Legal name

J H B Law Ltd.

Website

https://lawstop.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Lawstop is a UK-based law firm offering Legal Aid and private legal services across housing, community care, public law, education, and immigration, serving individuals and families through 10 offices and 80+ staff across England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Legal Aid Services: Government-funded legal services through contracts with the Legal Aid Agency. Clients who qualify based on financial means testing receive legal representation at no cost or with a contribution based on their savings and capital.
2. Private/ Fixed Fee Services: Fixed-fee legal services for clients who do not qualify for Legal Aid. Pricing ranges from £550 to £3,000 depending on the service type (e.g., Administrative Review at £1,200, Spouse and Family Visa at £1,200-£2,000, Visit Visa at £1,500-£2,500).
3. Initial Consultation: Hourly-rate initial consultations at £150-£300 per hour for bespoke advice letters and case assessment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

No source data with resolvable WX source IDs was provided in the input; core offerings cannot be extracted.

Product overview

Lawstop is a UK-based legal aid law firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of legal services spanning immigration, housing, community care, public law, and education. The firm operates primarily under legal aid contracts for qualifying clients while also serving self-pay customers. Services are structured around specialist practice areas: Immigration Services cover the full spectrum from visitor and family visas through to asylum claims, refugee family reunion, indefinite leave to remain, and British citizenship; Education Law Services address school admissions, exclusions, EHCP needs, and tribunal representation; Community Care Services challenge social services decisions affecting vulnerable populations; Housing Services handle homelessness, disrepair, possession proceedings, and Housing Act appeals; and Public Law Services provide judicial review representation. The firm offers both legal aid-funded and fixed-fee private paying options across its service portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £19,000 in backdated housing benefit recovered for single mother
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sussex Homeless SupportcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2024Community partnership for Street Kitchen event at the clocktower in Brighton. SHS team works tirelessly to help the homeless community. Lawstop staff participated in this community outreach event.
• Brighton Legal Walk (Citizens Advice Brighton, Money Advice Plus, Brighton Housing Trust)minorOthers · 13 September 2023Lawstop team walked 10km for the Brighton Legal Walk, a charity event raising funds for organisations including Citizens Advice Brighton, Money Advice Plus and Brighton Housing Trust that support individuals facing homelessness, destitution and other issues.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Irwin Mitchell: Large national UK law firm with dedicated public law and human rights teams, overlapping with Lawstop's areas of practice but serving a broader commercial and consumer client base. Competes for Legal Aid and private public law mandates.
• Slater and Gordon: National UK law firm with significant housing, public law, and personal injury practices. Overlaps with Lawstop's housing and community care service lines and competes for similar publicly funded and private client work.

Direct peers

• Simpson Millar: UK law firm with strong housing, community care, and public law practices operating on Legal Aid contracts. Comparable business model and target client segments to Lawstop.
• Leigh Day: UK law firm strongly associated with public law, human rights, and immigration work, frequently handling judicial review and claims against public bodies. Closely comparable to Lawstop's public law and immigration practice areas.
• Wilson Solicitors LLP: UK legal aid firm with parallel practice areas including housing, immigration, public law, and community care. Comparable in structure, practice mix, and client demographic.
• Hodge Jones & Allen: London-based law firm with a major legal aid practice in housing, community care, public law, and immigration. Direct competitor for Legal Aid Agency contracts and similar vulnerable client base.
• Bindmans LLP: London-based law firm known for public law, human rights, immigration, and community care work. Comparable in size, practice mix, and client base to Lawstop, with similar Legal Aid contracts.
• Duncan Lewis Solicitors: One of the largest UK legal aid firms, with multi-office presence and similar practice areas covering immigration, housing, public law, and community care. Directly comparable in business model, Legal Aid Agency contract base, and target client demographic.

Emerging players

• Shelter (housing law): While a charity, Shelter operates a national legal practice that competes directly with Lawstop's housing and homelessness services and shares similar front-line client relationships across the UK.
• Citizens Advice: National charity providing free legal advice in housing, immigration, and community care — Lawstop's core areas. Functions as both a referral source and indirect competitor for clients seeking initial legal guidance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/lawstopuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lawstop
• Instagraminstagram.com/lawstopuk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Lawstop