How Law Firms Use Beauhurst

For many law firms, the real challenge isn’t just finding new clients, it’s making sure time and resources are spent converting the right opportunities. Quick wins and higher-value prospects ultimately drive the best return on investment, and this is what firms tell us they are really looking for at the start of every engagement.

Traditionally, new client work comes via word of mouth, referrals, and longstanding partner networks. But in today’s competitive legal market, lawyers need a more proactive approach to business development to stay ahead of the competition.

With only so many hours in the day, and a high bar for what makes a “good” client, where can firms turn for reliable insights on prospective clients and their emerging legal needs?

Introducing Beauhurst

The Beauhurst platform was developed to help lawyers and business development teams to identify, research and connect with prospective clients by pre-empting their legal requirements. Our unique combination of machine learning models, data extraction tools and data analysts bring together vast amounts of data to create the ultimate private company data source.

Our searchable database allows users to get a comprehensive view of every sector in the UK market. We are constantly adding to our data and updating it to ensure that the needs of our users are answered.

Want to know how it works for your team?

Corporate lawyers
IP lawyers
Employment lawyers
Private wealth lawyers
Commercial lawyers
Banking and finance lawyers
Restructuring and insolvency lawyers
Real estate lawyers

How corporate law firms use Beauhurst

Corporate law firms rely on Beauhurst to identify companies approaching a transaction before it is publicised.

Let’s take a look at two examples of how corporate law firms can use Beauhurst to find the perfect clients for them.

Example 1

Let’s say you’re a corporate law firm looking for:

• An owner managed, traditional business
• That is thinking about succession planning
• And is likely to exit via an MBI or MBO

Using Beauhurst you could run a search to find this highly specific company type. First go to Advanced Search and then add in your criteria:

• Director/shareholders aged 60+
• With £2m+ cash on balance sheet
• And age diversity of directors on the board

From this search, you’ll find a number of interesting companies. In this example, we’re going to look at Albany Shed Co.

On the Albany Shed Co profile you’ll see all the data you need on the directors and shareholders, including the directors’ ages. And what’s more, you’ll be able to see all previous changes in directorship.

Using this information, you can see if you already have any connections or warm introductions looking through the ‘People’ tab. If not, now you have the option to send them a LinkedIn connect request to start a conversation, or invite them to any events you might have coming up.

Watch the video for a step-by-step breakdown.

Example 2

In our second example, we’ll be looking at how you can find companies approaching a series A VC round.

To do that we’ll be running a search to find early-stage companies that have only ever received silent investment. This is because if the company has only ever been through silent rounds, it means the rounds are less likely to be institutional and therefore, the company is probably less likely to already have a sophisticated corporate lawyer on board.

In this search, we’re looking at companies that have received a silent investment over 12 months ago, and have since gone through an accelerator programme that provides assistance with accessing investment opportunities.

From this search, you’ll find the company Roome.

Roome is an online platform that helps students find housemates and accommodation. On its company profile, you’ll be able to see relevant information including financials, transactions, news, corporate structure, and director and shareholder information.

In this example, you could use this information to reach out to Andrew Walker Nelson, one of Roome’s non-exec directors. Andrew is a good potential target because, by viewing his Beauhurst profile, we can see he is also connected to various other companies that may be of interest to a corporate law firm.

Watch the step-by-step video here.

How IP law firms use Beauhurst

Intellectual property law firms use Beauhurst to identify innovative companies investing in R&D and scaling their IP portfolio.

Let’s take a look at two examples of how IP law firms can use Beauhurst.

Example 1

Imagine you’re an intellectual property law firm looking for innovative startups that are likely to require extensive legal support in protecting their IP over their lifecycle, but unlikely to already have a relationship with a specialist lawyer.

Using Beauhurst you could run a search like this:

• Companies in the life sciences sector
• That has spun out of an academic institution
• Raised between £150-500k silent pre-seed investment in one round

From this search, you’ll find Imperial College London spinout Biomex. On the company profile, you’ll find everything you need to know to prepare for reaching out to the company — from its recent funding rounds and business news to personal contact information.

You might also introduce an additional criterion—for instance, whether the company has obtained a patent. The absence of a patent could suggest that the company has not yet required in-house legal expertise to manage the complexities of intellectual property protection.

Here, at a glance you can see that Biomex was incorporated in 2020, is in the medical devices field, has attended an accelerator, has received R&D grant and equity funding, but has no patents, all from the top of the company profile.

For instance, in this case, you’d want to start building a relationship with Anthony Bull, as he is connected to a range of other innovative companies that would likely make for good clients. You can use all the information Beauhurst has to offer on Anthony Bull to create targeted messaging for outreach, and show you really know what you’re talking about.

See how to run this search for yourself.

Example 2

Imagine you’re looking for either a Venture or Growth stage company that’s showing signs that they are scaling their innovation and development of intellectual property.

Using Beauhurst, you could run a search like this:

• Stage of evolution: Venture or Growth
• Has received a grant for at least £1m in the last 12 months

From this search, one company you’ll come across is Switchd — a renewable energy company.

From the Switchd company profile you can find really detailed company information. For example, the ‘Transactions’ tab shows a detailed description of what the grant was for and how the company intends to use it. You can then use that information to assess whether it aligns with your specialisms, and decide if you want to reach out to this company.

See how you can access this information in our video.

How employment law firms use Beauhurst

Employment law firms turn to Beauhurst to identify companies with emerging requirements for employment-related advice.

Let’s take a look at two examples of how employment law firms can use Beauhurst to discover new companies.

Example 1

Imagine you’re an employment law firm looking to identify companies that are likely to be impacted by recent legislative changes. For example, those approaching the 250 headcount threshold and operating in sectors where zero-hour contracts are commonplace.

These businesses are likely to need legal guidance on compliance, worker classification, and contractual obligations, but may not yet have specialist legal representation in place.

Using Beauhurst you could run a search like this:

• Headcount: approaching 250 employees
• Operating in sectors where zero-hour contracts are common
• Signals of growth: 10% or 20% scaleup

From this search, you might identify a company such as Acorns Health Care.

On the company profile, you’ll find all the information you need to prepare for outreach — including growth trajectory, hiring patterns, sector activity, and key decision-makers.

In this case, you’d likely want to build a relationship with the CEO, Cassandra Marie Palmer, as they are responsible for overseeing HR and compliance during this period of scaling.

See how to run this search for yourself.

Example 2

Now let’s consider another employment-related use case. Imagine you’re looking to identify companies that are likely to make redundancies in the short-to-medium-term. These are organisations where you can offer proactive legal and HR advisory support — covering everything from redundancy processes to employee disputes.

Using Beauhurst you could run a search like this:

• Companies showing negative growth signals (shrinking scaleups, revenue decline, or leadership departures)
• Short financial runway
• Negative EBITDA
• At least 200 employees

From this search, one company you might come across is AE Live.

From the company profile you can uncover detailed insight, such as financial trends, employee headcount trajectory, and recent business news and challenges, all of which help you position your services in a way that’s timely and relevant.

You’ll also be able to see a huge range of people that work at the company — meaning you can find exactly who you need to connect with to offer legal and HR advisory support.

See for yourself how easy it is to access this information in our video.

How private wealth law firms use Beauhurst

Private wealth law firms use Beauhurst to identify and connect with wealthy individuals with complex tax requirements.

Let’s take a look at two examples of how private wealth law firms can use Beauhurst.

Example 1

Imagine you’re a private client advisory firm looking to identify non-domiciled individuals with complex tax requirements — particularly those drawing significant annual emoluments from UK companies. These individuals are likely to need specialist advice on structuring their income, international tax exposure, and wealth planning.

A useful search setup could look like this:

• Directors with usual residence outside the UK
• Board positions at companies that provide large annual emoluments
• Company location is in the UK

A search like this might surface someone such as Aadhaar Mehra, who is involved in a number of UK companies.

By viewing the person’s profile, you’re able to piece together their income streams, board positions, and corporate connections, giving you the context you need before reaching out. In situations like this, the opportunity is to begin a conversation around tax-efficient structures and long-term wealth planning.

See how to run the search in the video below.

Example 2

Another area where Beauhurst proves powerful is in highlighting individuals approaching retirement who hold significant wealth within private companies. These people are often considering succession plans, business exits, or inheritance strategies.

To surface such profiles, you could filter for:

• Shareholders or directors of retirement age
• With an estimated paper wealth of over £1.00m

An example target might be Abu Amed Omar; he’s involved with three companies and may be considering his next steps for all three.

Once you click into his profile, you’d be able to assess his shareholding size, the company’s financial trajectory, and his wider network of business interests.

With this context, you can approach the conversation around estate planning, business continuity, and the preservation of family wealth.

See how it’s done in the video below.

And that’s not all…

Our platform doesn’t just cover the basics — it helps you focus on the opportunities that matter most to your firm’s strategy. In a competitive market, the real differentiator is being able to spend limited time on prospects that fit your ideal client profile, rather than chasing the same leads as everyone else. That’s where our data really adds value.

For commercial law teams, that could mean surfacing companies launching new products, expanding into international markets, or entering heavily regulated sectors.

For banking and finance teams, it might be identifying specialist lenders, challenger banks, businesses refinancing distressed debt, or companies in urgent need of short-term facilities.

For restructuring and insolvency teams, it could mean spotting businesses with shrinking headcount after periods of over-hiring, organisations with short runways, or complex structures ready for corporate simplification.

For real estate teams, it might be developers, investors, and construction firms, or high-growth businesses outgrowing office space and expanding warehousing footprints into new regions.

Whatever your focus, the result is the same: more targeted opportunities that align with your firm’s strengths, your strategy, and the clients you want to work with.

To find out more, simply get in touch with our team by filling in the form below.

Get this data for yourself

At the end of the day, winning new business is about timing, relevance, and making the right connections — that’s exactly where Beauhurst comes in. Whether you’re looking for companies heading towards a major funding round, planning for succession, or scaling their teams, Beauhurst helps you spot those opportunities early so you can prioritise your time effectively.

From corporate and IP to employment, private wealth, and commercial law, firms across the board are using Beauhurst to go beyond word-of-mouth and build smarter, more strategic pipelines.