Harper James

Harper James is a commercial law firm for businesses from startup to exit, advising on corporate, commercial, employment, disputes, property, intellectual property, data protection and employee share schemes. Toby Harper founded it in 2014 and leads it as founder and chief executive. Its lawyers work mainly remotely on a cloud-based platform, with a head office in Birmingham and regional spaces in Cardiff, Cambridge, Manchester, London, Oxford, Sheffield and Southampton. The firm says its lawyers average 17 years’ post-qualification experience and that it has supported more than 8,000 businesses.

The model departs from the billable hour. Clients can take the Enable plan, a 12-month subscription at £259 a month that includes £174 of monthly credit, an Extend plan with account management and a client-set budget, or pay as they go on the Engage plan. Fixed-fee products cover common needs.

Private equity and a growth target

LDC, the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group, invested in Harper James in September 2025, in a deal led by its West Midlands team. The firm said the money would go into its own technology, including AI-driven tools, a larger senior lawyer team, a wider range of services and possible acquisitions. Steve Weller is non-executive chair, and Chris Handy and Karen Mann of LDC joined the board as non-executive directors.

“This partnership with LDC is a major milestone in our mission,” Harper said when the deal was announced.

In November 2025 the firm reported that revenue had risen 25% to £15.2m in its last financial year, all of it organic, and set a target of £30m by 2028.

The filed figures

The group’s accounts, filed at Companies House by holding company HJ Holdco Ltd, cover a 14-month period to 30 September 2025 after a change of year end. Turnover for those 14 months was £17.4m, against £11.8m for the 12 months to July 2024, and profit before tax rose from £1.5m to £2.1m. The group employed an average of 126 people, including directors, up from 111: 65 in legal services, 28 in sales and marketing, 26 in finance and operations and seven directors and managers.

Chambers and Partners ranked Harper James in Band 1 in its new category for SME-focused law firms in the 2026 guide, and the firm was commended for New Law Business of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2026. In April 2026 it hired Lottie Hugo as a corporate partner.