In this episode, Alex Rawlings speaks with Adil Taha, a private equity operator specialising in the UK legal sector. They explore why private equity has struggled to scale law firms, the challenges of buy-and-build strategies, and why many legal businesses are weaker than they appear financially.

Adil shares lessons from rescuing and rebuilding Child & Child, explains why consumer legal services are attracting the most PE interest, and discusses how law firms differ from other professional services businesses. The conversation also covers the impact of AI, rising salary costs, partnership structures, and why the US legal market may offer bigger opportunities for investors.

Topics Covered

• PE investment trends in legal services
• The Child & Child turnaround
• Why law firms are difficult to scale
• Problems with traditional partnership models
• Why buy-and-build strategies are struggling
• Consumer legal services vs full-service firms
• The role of AI and rising costs in legal
• Why the US market is attracting PE attention

Timestamp Highlights

• 00:00 – Introduction to Adil Taha
• 02:29 – Child & Child acquisition and turnaround
• 09:11 – Where PE is investing in legal
• 14:55 – The hidden weaknesses in law firms
• 26:51 – Why professional services are hard to scale
• 35:23 – Investment strategies that may work in legal
• 45:05 – Why PE is looking toward the US market

Raw Selection partners with Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies to secure exceptional executive talent. We focus on de-risking executive recruitment through meticulous search and selection processes, ensuring top-tier performance and long-term success.

🔗 Connect with Alex Rawlings on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrawlings/
🌐 Visit Raw Selection www.raw-selection.com