Pannone's Affinity reports 400 per cent rise in conveyancing

'Fragmented legal market will lead to further consolidation'

Pannone's Affinity division, the white labelling arm of the Manchester law firm, is set to grow further after reporting a 400 per cent rise in conveyancing instructions in the past year.

Headed by partner Daniel Hickey (pictured), the conveyancing department has recently recruited four new solicitors, four assistants, and about to recruit a further six conveyancers.

"We have worked extremely hard to improve the processes and procedures over the last year, to keep costs very competitive, and to recruit only high calibre and qualified solicitors and licensed conveyancers, which is a different model to many of our rivals who use a high ratio of non-qualified paralegals," Hickey said.

Set up in 2011, Affinity provides white label legal services to a number of intermediaries in the consumer and commercial sectors, including new entrants, and " a leading insurance company and a major supermarket chain".

It also has a number of referral arrangements with estate agents and property developers, and is on a number of preferred supplier panels.

"Our reputation for volume yet quality work at competitive prices has seen the department being appointed to a number of panels and referred work from a number of intermediaries," Hickey went on.

Hickey said the legal market was still "highly fragmented" and that consolidation was "inevitable".

"The signs are that the housing market is improving and this should help fuel our growth plans," he said.

The move comes as former Co-op Legal Services director Jonathan Gulliford has joined Affinity as a consultant.

Gulliford, who trained as a barrister, joined the Co-op in 2006 and is credited with being instrumental in seeing Co-op Legal Services one of the three alternatives business structures authorised by the SRA in its first round of licences in March 2012.

"With so many opportunities in the legal market post-LSA and LASPO, the potential for growth is huge," Gulliford said about Affinity.

Affinity is one of the two vehicles designed by Pannone to take advantage of the new models offered by the Legal Services Act.

The other is Connect2Law, a referral and support network for regional firms created in 2001, which includes sizeable practices such as Michelmores, Thomson Snell & Passmore, and VealeWasbrough.

Last December, the network appointed former Clyde & Co chief operating officer David Jabbari as chief executive.