A group of Personal Injury firms have formed a consortium to buy up desperate competitors in the imploding PI market.

'PI Gateway', which seems to be more of a PI Exit, will purchase a floundering firm's work in progress or its PI department. Or even the entire firm. The venture's soothing website, with its "Lawyers helping lawyers" tagline, promises "discreet" help to solicitors whose once-booming business model has been smashed to bits by the Jackson reforms. It promises brown-trousered managing partners that it will "go at your pace and look after your clients, your staff and yourself".

A PI Gateway customer yesterday

The consortium, which is made up of PI firms Bott & Co, Hilary Meredith, Ralli and Express Solicitors, has been accused by some of having a vulture-like business model. One source told RollOnFriday, "Nothing better than Bentley-driving lawyers digging the graves of other lawyers and wrapping it up in ribbons. As if this lot haven't made more than enough money out of PI". 

But Bott & Co's David Bott told RollOnFriday that PI Gateway offers a chance for lawyers affected by increased professional indemnity insurance and a ban on referral fees to "discuss in a sensitive way the choices available and specifically to allow a full or partial sale of their Personal Injury caseload".