The practice employed over 250 people in the West Midlands of the UK. It had been founded in 1961. But some of the staff have taken the firm to employment tribunal - and 30 of them are to receive payouts because of the lack of notice given to them. 

Work in progress

The firm got into cashflow problems, forcing its regulator, the Solicitiors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to take action and force its closure. At the time, it had some 7,500 clients and its work in progress was estimated at a value of over £4.2m. The tribunal judge Ann Benson held that the firm breached its duties by failing to consult with employees.

Role of partners

She said: 'The SRA intervened into Blakemores and the partners of the firm gave no warning to any employees despite the SRA having been involved with the firm for several months...Prior to the intervention partners were seeking to transfer profitable parts of the business to other firms. The partners misled the employees as to the seriousness of the financial situation. The partners gave no consideration to the employees' situation and were concerned only with protecting their own financial positions as far as they could.' Source: Birmingham Post