200 jobs lost as Pure Legal goes into administration

More than 200 jobs have been lost after Pure Legal, which has offices in Liverpool and Prescot, went into administration.

In a statement posted on its website, the company confirmed that Pure Business Group Limited, Pure Legal Limited and seven other entities were placed into administration and Robert Armstrong, Michael Lennon and James Saunders of Kroll Advisory Ltd were appointed joint administrators.

The statement said: “The companies ceased to trade following the appointment of the joint administrators.

“The joint administrators are currently undertaking their statutory duties following the appointment and working with industry regulators in relation to the protection of claimant rights.

“Immediately upon their appointment, and with the support of the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the joint administrators secured the effective transfer of rights to handle the claims and work-in-progress (WIP) files of all existing claimants.”

The companies are part of the wider Pure Business Group which provides a range of end-to-end legal services within the civil litigation sector and is handling over 20,000 live claims.

The Joint Administrators are taking the steps necessary to ensure all client files and monies are secure and claimants are being contacted to explain the next steps.

The companies which together employed 256 staff and operated from sites in Liverpool and Prescot have ceased trading with immediate effect resulting in 203 redundancies.

The administrators are working with the remaining employees to wind down operations and in providing support to redundant employees.

Other companies within the wider group are unaffected by the appointment of the administrators to the companies.

Workers have begun the process of taking legal action against the company over the way the redundancy process was managed.

Law firm Simpson Millar, which has an office at Liverpool’s Royal Albert Dock, says it has been contacted by several former workers who claim they were not consulted over the job losses, and that its specialist employment team has now begun investigations and are looking to secure a Protective Award for those affected.

Anita North, an employment law expert at Simpson Millar, said: “Regardless of whether a company is struggling financially, they still have a duty under current employment law legislation to carry out a proper consultation with staff at risk of redundancies. Where that does not happen, employees can bring a claim for a Protective Award.”

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