The Mazur Ruling: Why it could hit law firm profitability and how to respond

A High Court decision is forcing UK law firms to rethink litigation resourcing, and the financial impact could be significant. 

What happened?

In Mazur & Anor v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025], the High Court confirmed that only an authorised person may conduct litigation. Unqualified staff, including paralegals, trainees, and CILEX members without independent practice rights, may assist but cannot themselves perform reserved acts, even under supervision. 

Reserved acts include:

• Issuing or serving proceedings   
• Signing statements of case  
• Other steps that amount to “conduct of litigation” under the Legal Services Act 2007    

Supervision does not convert an unauthorised person into an authorised one. This ruling closes a grey area many firms relied on for efficiency and leverage. 

Why does this matter for profitability? 

This ruling both tightens compliance and reshapes the economics of litigation delivery. Impacts include:  

• Higher cost base: More work must now be done by qualified solicitors, increasing average cost per matter.  
• Margin pressure: High‑volume litigation models that relied on paralegal leverage will need restructuring.  
• Revenue risk: Cost challenges could lead to unrecoverable fees if unauthorised staff handled reserved steps.
• Operational disruption: Workflow redesign and retraining will consume partner time and resources.   

What should firms do now? 

Firms that move fast to adapt their workflows and pricing models can protect margins and stay ahead of the curve. Here’s how:  

1. Capture ways of working and evidence reserved steps
   Assign authorised owners for each reserved act and maintain clear supervision records. 
2. Audit historic matters

   Identify exposure where non‑qualified staff performed reserved steps; prepare a remediation plan.
3. Redesign workflows and pricing
   Re‑engineer leverage models, update AFAs, and explore automation for non‑reserved tasks to protect margins.
4. Train and communicate
   Educate teams on the new boundary and proactively manage client expectations. 

Read through our mini guide 

At Pace, we help leading law firms achieve measurable results through process-led transformation. Results have included a 66% reduction in debtor days delivering over £7M in working capital impact, to an 83% cut in onboarding and AML review time that strengthened audit performance and compliance. In another programme, automation reduced onboarding effort by 60%, freeing up millions in fee-earner capacity. 

Our experience shows that process clarity and system alignment aren’t just operational wins but are foundational for profitability and risk resilience. 

Get in touch to discuss how we can help you adapt quickly and confidently.