Mishcon de Reya has made its first acquisition in the alternative legal services market, snapping up flexible working platform Flex Legal.  

Mishcon hailed the move as a “major step” in its 10-year growth strategy to build a world-class consultancy centred on law, which in the past year has also seen it set up shop in Saudi Arabia and complete its merger with tech-focused law firm Taylor Vinters – a move that added nearly 150 lawyers.  

Mishcon’s executive chairman, Kevin Gold, said: “The alternative legal services market is a high growth part of the legal ecosystem and investing in it and creating a broader range of legal and business services to clients has been a key part of our 10-year vision.  

“Flex Legal is a young dynamic business with a motivated management team. We have been impressed by the quality of the business that [co-founder] Mary [Bonsor] and the team have built and I am looking forward to supporting a successful collaboration between the law firm and Flex.” 

For its part Flex Legal was launched in 2016 to connect UK legal teams with talent on an interim basis. Over the last six years more than 6,000 lawyers and paralegals have joined the online platform. 

In 2021 the business also launched Flex Trainee to support aspiring lawyers from historically underrepresented backgrounds to qualify in-house through the new solicitors qualifying examination (SQE) route. 

Following its acquisition Flex will be part of the Mishcon de Reya Group but will continue to be managed autonomously and separately. 

The Group also includes consultancy businesses launched over the past decade, among them MDR Mayfair, which focuses on private client work, and tech and compliance business MDRx. Last year the firm also launched litigation finance venture MDR Solutions I.  

Flex co-founder, Mary Bonsor, commented: “We were struck by how closely aligned Mishcon de Reya’s vision for a broader set of alternative legal services are with our own culture and thinking.  

“The opportunity for our Flex legal professionals to benefit from Mishcon’s training programmes, depth of legal expertise and brand will be valuable as we pursue our growth plans. I am delighted that the rest of the Flex team will be continuing with me on this next phase of our journey.” 

Mary Bonsor has been shortlisted in the Woman of the Year and Innovator of the Year categories of the Women and Diversity in Law Awards, which take place in London on 13 March. Flex Legal is shortlisted in the Social Mobility Initiative category. Click here to read the shortlist.