Legal Services Acquisitions in 2021

VIQ Solutions Inc. completed the asset acquisition of Auscript Australasia Pty Ltd, a leading Australian court recording and transcription services provider, for approximately USD 7.65 million (AUD 10.7 million). The deal adds about USD 12 million in annualised revenue, more than 2.3 million pages of transcripts and ~200,000 hours of recordings per year, expanding VIQ's footprint and capabilities in the Asia-Pacific legal and justice markets.

Sedgwick has acquired JND Legal Administration, a U.S.-based provider of class action, mass tort, eDiscovery, government redress and legal noticing services. The acquisition expands Sedgwick's legal solutions and bolsters its class action administration capabilities, adding JND's ~250 employees and multiple U.S. offices to Sedgwick's platform.

Wolters Kluwer Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) has acquired LicenseLogix LLC, a White Plains, New York-based provider of U.S. business licensing research, filing and ongoing compliance management. LicenseLogix will be integrated with Wolters Kluwer's CT Corporation to expand CT's end-to-end legal entity compliance and managed services offerings; the deal is expected to deliver ROIC above Wolters Kluwer's after-tax WACC within three to five years and have an immaterial impact on adjusted earnings in the first full year.

An affiliate of Sun European Partners has acquired Fletchers Solicitors, a founder-owned UK consumer law firm specialising in personal injury and medical negligence. Founder Rob Fletcher is exiting leadership as Sun European plans to invest in technology and pursue a buy-and-build growth strategy; financial terms were not disclosed.

Registered Agent Solutions, Inc. (RASi), a Lexitas company, has acquired MyCompanyWorks, Inc., a business-formation and registered-agent services provider led by Matt Knee. The deal expands RASi/Lexitas’s entrepreneurial services capabilities and establishes a new Entrepreneurial Services Department to broaden technology, filings, and compliance offerings to small businesses and startups.

Consilio has completed the acquisition of the Adecco Group’s legal consulting and eDiscovery business units of Special Counsel, including D4 and EQ. The deal expands Consilio’s document review, legal process outsourcing and cyber incident response capabilities while Adecco retains its legal staffing and permanent placement units, which will transition to LHH Professional Recruitment.

Simply Conveyancing, a PE-backed national conveyancing firm supported by Livingbridge, has acquired Peterborough-based Pirie Palmann. The transaction combines two top-30 conveyancing practices and increases Simply Conveyancing's headcount to over 300, positioning the combined business among the UK's top 10 conveyancing firms. Pirie Palmann will retain its recognised brand as part of the larger group.

Veritext Legal Solutions has acquired Reportex and its family of British Columbia reporting brands — including United Reporting, Kamloops Reporting Services, All-Star and Island Reporting — expanding Veritext’s litigation and court reporting footprint across Canada. The deal integrates these firms into Veritext’s Canadian network to provide national coverage, advanced litigation technology and remote services; terms were not disclosed.

Lexitas, a technology-enabled litigation services provider and portfolio company of funds advised by Apax, has acquired Benchmark Reporting Agency, a Minneapolis-based court reporting and litigation support firm. The acquisition deepens Lexitas's presence in the Midwest and expands its court reporting, litigation support and legal video service capabilities.

IMS Consulting & Expert Services has acquired Litigation Insights, a nationally recognized jury consulting and visual-communication firm. The deal adds Litigation Insights' 21-person team and expands IMS's jury consulting, trial graphics, and trial-presentation capabilities and coast-to-coast footprint.

Magna Legal Services, a portfolio company of CIVC Partners, has acquired O'Brien & Levine Court Reporting Solutions, a Boston-based court reporting and litigation support firm founded in 1990. The acquisition is an add-on to Magna's platform to expand its litigation support capabilities and market position in Massachusetts and the broader New England region.

Registered Agent Solutions, Inc. (RASi), a Lexitas company, acquired Precision Corporate Services, Inc. (PCS), a Boston-based registered agent and corporate/UCC service provider. The deal is an add-on to RASi's existing national registered agent platform and expands its local capabilities and team in the Boston market.

Lighthouse has completed the acquisition of H5, a leading provider of sensitive data classification, analytics and eDiscovery review technology. Approximately 250 H5 employees join Lighthouse, expanding its review, analytics and information-governance capabilities and pairing H5's review efficiency technology with Lighthouse's Prism AI to modernize document review for corporate legal and compliance clients.

Cobra Legal Solutions, a legal operations outsourcing provider based in Austin, Texas, has acquired Dallas-based digital forensics and data collection firm Digital Discovery. The acquisition, supported by Cobra investor Blue Sage Capital, expands Cobra's upstream evidence collection, forensic investigations, and incident response capabilities as an add-on to its eDiscovery and data breach services.

Day Pitney LLP has completed a merger with Rhode Island-based trusts and estates boutique Howland Evangelista Kohlenberg LLP, adding eight attorneys and retaining the Providence office. The transaction expands Day Pitney’s East Coast footprint and strengthens its Individual Clients/trusts and estates capabilities.

Thompson Coburn LLP has combined with New York-based Hahn & Hessen LLP, effective July 1, 2021, adding a 44-attorney boutique focused on bankruptcy, commercial finance and complex litigation. The combination creates a national firm of more than 400 attorneys across seven offices and strengthens Thompson Coburn's financial services and restructuring capabilities in New York.

Knox Capital took an equity interest in ANADeeds (now rebranded as bundle) and has an advisory role as the company launches a new brand identity and website. The founder remains involved as Chief Legal Officer while Knox partner Mike Bryant will serve as Executive Chairman to support growth following technology and workflow upgrades that have increased order volume.

Foster LLP acquired Dallas-based Elise Healy + Associates, PLLC to expand its Dallas/Fort Worth presence and strengthen its immigration law capabilities. The acquisition adds Elise Healy and her team to Foster's offices in Texas, bringing Foster's total immigration-focused lawyer headcount to 44.

Lexitas, a portfolio company of funds advised by Apax, has acquired Imber Court Reporters, a Valencia, California-based court reporting firm specializing in workers' compensation matters. The deal expands Lexitas' presence in the California market and broadens its outsourced litigation services offering to law firms, TPAs, insurance companies and corporate clients.

Mitratech, a provider of legal and compliance technology, has acquired AdvanceLaw, a global marketplace and performance network used by corporate general counsels to evaluate and manage law firm panels. The acquisition expands Mitratech's capabilities for the Office of the General Counsel by adding AdvanceLaw's vetted GC network, analytics and panel-management services.

Magna Legal Services, a portfolio company of CIVC Partners, has acquired Kim Tindall & Associates (KTA), a Texas-based provider of court reporting and record retrieval services. The add-on expands Magna's litigation support capabilities and significantly scales its presence in Texas to better serve law firms and corporate clients.

Registered Agent Solutions, Inc. (RASi), a division of Lexitas, has acquired Infinity Professional Services Group, Inc., a St. Louis-based provider of corporate/UCC and registered agent services. The deal is a tuck-in/add-on to the Lexitas/RASi platform to expand UCC capabilities, deepen Midwest presence and streamline services for mutual registered-agent clients.

JLL Partners has signed a definitive agreement to sell Xact Data Discovery (Xact), a provider of eDiscovery, data management and managed review services, to an investment fund managed by Aquiline Capital Partners. Aquiline and investment funds managed by Stone Point intend to combine Xact with Consilio following close; closing was expected in May 2021 and is subject to customary conditions.

GI Partners has signed a definitive agreement to sell Consilio, a global eDiscovery and legal consulting services provider, to investment funds managed by Stone Point Capital. Closing was expected in May 2021; Stone Point and Aquiline (which is acquiring Xact Data Discovery) intend to combine the Consilio and XDD businesses to create a larger global eDiscovery platform.

Xact Data Discovery (XDD) has acquired the eDiscovery assets of Zeledon-Castillo, LLC to expand its service footprint and capabilities in southern Texas. The deal brings Zeledon-Castillo's staff, resources and client relationships (including a Fortune 500 financial services client) into XDD's operations based in Mission, Kansas.

Lexitas, a portfolio company of funds advised by Apax, has acquired Alaris, a St. Louis–based litigation support firm that provides court reporting, trial support and alternative dispute resolution services. The deal expands Lexitas’ footprint in the Midwest (St. Louis, Kansas City and Little Rock) and adds regional talent and capabilities to its technology-enabled legal services platform.

Blue Sage Capital completed a strategic investment in Cobra Legal Solutions, an Austin-based provider of eDiscovery technology services, managed review, contracts management and legal research. The partnership will provide capital and strategic support to accelerate Cobra's organic growth and pursue acquisitions to expand its service offering.

Lexitas, a portfolio company of funds advised by Apax, has acquired Confidential Communications International (CCI), a Houston-based medical record retrieval and deposition services provider. The deal expands Lexitas's records retrieval and court reporting capabilities and strengthens its nationwide footprint serving AmLaw 100 firms, insurance companies and large plaintiff firms.

Esquire Deposition Solutions has acquired Willette Court Reporting, expanding Esquire’s presence in Wausau and Central Wisconsin and adding deep court-reporting expertise. Christine Willette, founder and owner of Willette, will join Esquire as Vice President of Acquisition Strategy to support further acquisition initiatives and integration of service offerings.

Stretto, a bankruptcy administration and technology firm, has acquired Acumen Recovery Services, LLC to expand its preference-analysis and advisory capabilities for bankruptcy professionals. Acumen's founders Michael Cohen and Dan McElhinney join Stretto as managing directors to integrate Acumen's proprietary database and analytics into Stretto's suite of bankruptcy services.

Esquire Deposition Solutions acquired Honorable Reporting, a South Florida court reporting and litigation support firm, to strengthen its presence and service capacity in the Miami market. Founder Sharon Hodge will serve as President of Esquire’s Honorable Reporting division while the business continues to operate as a separate division under Esquire.