UK News
Online legal training provider Datalaw has received financial backing as it ramps up its expansion plans. The North West Fund for Venture Capital has invested a six-figure sum in return for a minority stake in the ambitious Liverpool-based business.
Datalaw managing director Charles Peter said the money would enable the firm to greatly increase the number of courses it offers and to fund a new technology platform.
The investment has already helped Datalaw to make key appointments in research and development, marketing and digital development to support its growth strategy.
Datalaw currently delivers more than 350 continuing professional development courses via webinars and podcasts to thousands of solicitors nationwide, covering over a dozen areas of law.
The firm is also a leading provider of mandatory courses and examinations required for solicitors to represent clients in police stations and magistrates’ courts.
It has also launched the Datalaw Scholarship, a competition which will see it pay the winner’s tuition fees for a Legal Practice Course – a prize worth up to £12,000.
Mr Peter said: “We were the first company to move from training solicitors in conventional physical venues to offering online courses, allowing them to comply with the profession’s CPD requirements far more cost-effectively.
“Having grown to become one of the UK’s largest and most innovative providers of online legal training, with particular strengths in criminal and family law, we have been planning the next phase of our expansion.
“Over the next 12 months, we aim to quadruple the number of courses we deliver, reaching a wider range of lawyers. We will also be launching a new technology platform.
“This investment from the North West Fund for Venture Capital is a major endorsement of our strategy.”
The North West Fund for Venture Capital, which is managed by Enterprise Ventures, supports entrepreneurs building high-growth companies with finance ranging from £50,000 to £2m.
The North West Fund for Venture Capital is part of The North West Fund which is financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Investment Bank.
Will Clark, of Enterprise Ventures, said: “Datalaw is a business with a proven track record of innovation and growth. This new investment will allow it to further develop its offering.”
Anne Kershaw, of Manchester law firm Kennedys, advised Datalaw on the investment. Andrew O’Mahony, a partner at Brabners in Liverpool, advised The North West Fund.
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