North West Fund backs Datalaw
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 Liverpool-based business.
Datalaw managing director Charles Peter said the money would enable the firm to increase the number of courses it offers and to fund a new technology platform.
The investment has already helped the company to make appointments in research and development, marketing and digital development.
Datalaw currently delivers more than 350 continuing professional development courses through online seminars and podcasts to thousands of solicitors nationwide, covering over a dozen areas of law. The firm also provides mandatory courses and examinations required for solicitors to represent clients in police stations and magistrates’ courts.
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 high-growth companies with finance ranging from £50,000 to £2m. It is part of the £155m North West Fund which is financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Investment Bank.
Anne Kershaw of law firm Kennedys acted for Datalaw while Andrew O’Mahony at Brabners in Liverpool advised The North West Fund.
