Intervention into PM Law Limited

Following the unexpected closure of PM Law Limited (PM Law) of PM House, 250 Shepcote Lane, Sheffield S9 1TP on Monday 2 February, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (‘SRA’) intervened into the firm, and wider firms associated with it, on 4 February 2026.

An intervention means that the SRA has:

• taken possession of all documents and papers held by the firm,
• taken possession of all money held by the firm (including clients’ money), and,
• where a firm is still trading, closed it with immediate effect.

We understand that this is concerning and distressing news for all involved, not least those that had on-going matters with the firm. Acting on behalf of the SRA, we are here to help as much as we can.

Our role is to contact clients with ongoing matters and advise them that they need to seek new legal representation. Our role is not to take over acting/carry out the legal work on the individual matters/cases.

Further information about the intervention can be found below. This will be updated regularly.

Please read this information as it may answer any questions you have.

What happens now? Are Gordons now acting for me?

If you were a client of PM Law, they can no longer act for you. You will need to find another solicitor to act for you. Gordons will not be acting for you, even if your matter is urgent. Our role is to deal with the closure of the firm and advise you of the need to find new representation.

You can find a solicitor by searching here: Find a Solicitor – The Law Society or you can call The Law Society on 020 7320 5650 Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00.

If you thought PM Law had completed the work you’d asked them to do but there is still something to do, such as dealing with post-completion formalities after a house purchase/remortgage, you will still need to find new representation. Gordons will not be completing this work for you. See below for what to do if you think you will have to pay again for this legal work to be completed.

What’s happened to my file?

Physical files

We have been working with the SRA to collect files and documents relating to live/ongoing matters from the firms’ offices. All live physical files have now been collected.

After collection these must be scheduled by the SRA before being delivered to us.

We have started to receive live/ongoing files and will continue to receive multiple deliveries over the coming weeks.

We must prioritise requests from clients who have contacted us with the most immediate/urgent legal issues to be resolved.

Electronic files

We have access to the firms’ case management software/clients’ electronic files and can send electronic records to clients or their new lawyers.

These will be provided by email using secure data-sharing software.

We must prioritise requests from clients who have contacted us with the most immediate/urgent legal issues to be resolved.

We appreciate your patience.

How are the electronic files ordered?

The documents in your file will be named according to the document numbers assigned by PM Law’s case management system. This is a feature of PM Law’s case management system’s export function. We cannot rename the documents before they are sent. Guidance on identifying documents within the file export will be included in the accompanying email.

What about property searches PM Law carried out for me? They’re not on my file.

PM Law used a company called Search Bureau to carry out property searches. Search Bureau are holding searches ordered by PM Law before they closed – some of them have been paid for; some haven’t. If your searches were ordered from Search Bureau and they are not on your file please contact PMsearches@searchbureau.co.uk.

If you had paid PM Law for these searches but Search Bureau had not been paid before PM Law closed, you may be able to recover these fees from the SRA Compensation Fund (see below).

See below for how to request your file.

Will I be notified individually when you have access to my file?

All clients for whom we identify and recover a file relating to an ongoing matter will, in due course, be notified of the intervention with instructions about how to claim their file. We have started notifying clients. It may not be possible to do in all cases. If you have an ongoing matter, it is important that you do not delay and instruct a new solicitor as soon as possible.

Do I need to obtain my file before instructing a new solicitor?

You may not need your file to instruct a new solicitor. You should let your new solicitor have copies of correspondence/documents you’ve received, along with details of any others/other solicitors involved in the transaction. Your new solicitor may be able to liaise with others involved to get copies of other correspondence/documents and make progress for you in the meantime.

What do I need to provide to request my file?

If you receive an email from us with instructions about how to claim your file, please follow the instructions and links in that email. The email is genuine.

If you haven’t received an email from us or you want your file in the meantime, you can still request your file by e-mailing us at pm@gordonsllp.com with:

• Your name and contact details
• Details of what the law firm were doing for you
• Which office of PM Law was representing you
• Their reference number, if you know it
• Contact details of where you want us to send your file (email and postal addresses).
• If we are holding a paper file and the firm was acting for two or more people, we will need everyone’s consent before we can release the physical file.
• If you want a physical or electronic file to be sent to you, please also attach a copy of your ID. We don’t need copy ID if you want these to be sent to a new solicitor.

We must prioritise the most urgent requests first before dealing with other requests in order of receipt.

The law firm was holding money for me or I think I am now going to have to pay again for work already carried out. What should I do? 

If you believe PM Law was holding your money or owes you money, you may be able to make an application to recover your loss from the SRA Compensation Fund. This is a discretionary fund with set criteria for making a claim. Applications will be prioritised based on urgency of claims.

All clients who believe money was or should have been held for them by PM Law should consider making an application to the SRA Compensation Fund.

Further details on making an application are available on the SRA’s website.

If you paid money to PM Law by card, you may also consider contacting your bank/card provider to see if they can help you.

Neither we, nor the SRA, can make payments from the firm’s bank accounts. If this position changes, we will update this information.

Can you speed up or give me updates on the progress of my claim to the SRA Compensation Fund? 

No, but we will do everything we can to provide any information the SRA Compensation Fund caseworkers need and which may assist with the assessment and progress of your claim.

What about wills, deeds and other documents held in storage at the firms?

Any such documents held by the firm will be collected by the SRA’s archives team for safe storage. To request documents please contact the SRA’s archives team at iaf@sra.org.uk or 0204 525 0250.

In the meantime, if you are worried about property deeds, it may be quicker to find the information you need online. In most cases, deeds (i.e. evidence of property ownership) are now stored electronically at the Land Registry. You can find out more about this here: Search for land and property information – GOV.UK.

As we are not holding these documents, we (Gordons) will not notify clients about deeds, wills and other documents held in storage at the firms.

What about old/archived files?

All old/archived files held in storage by the firms will in due course be collected and taken to the SRA. If you want to request old/archived files, please contact the SRA’s archives team at iaf@sra.org.uk or 0204 525 0250.

I was an employee of one of the firms. What can I do?

We understand this is a difficult time for you. Your contract of employment is personal to you and your former employer. Unfortunately, we are unable to assume any rights or obligations in relation to your contract.

We are not a representative of or successor practice to any of the firms. We are therefore unable to deal with issues relating to your employment. We suggest you seek independent legal advice. The links below may also help:

• ACAS
• Citizens Advice
• Law Care
• The Solicitors’ Charity – Supporting the wellbeing of solicitors
• SAS Solicitor’s Assistance Scheme. A lifeline for Solicitors

How can I get more information about the intervention into PM Law Limited?

You can:

• call us on 0113 227 0368 (Monday to Friday 09:00 – 17:30). Initially, you will hear a recorded message which will be updated when necessary.
• email your query to pm@gordonsllp.com. You will receive an autoreply containing this information the first time you email. If your query is answered by this information, you may not receive a separate reply. If your email requires a separate reply, we will get back to you as soon as we can.
• Visit the SRA Website – where it is providing up-to-date information on both the intervention and advice for clients, employees and creditors of PM Law: SRA | Information for clients, employees and creditors of PM Law | Solicitors Regulation Authority