Interview: Zoe Holland, founder of Sale-based legal consultancy ZebraLC

Establishing a profitable business due to a deep-rooted entrepreneurial drive is impressive, but launching a successful company to cope with unforeseeable life changes is all the more commendable.

A recent conversation I had with Zoe Holland, the founder and managing director of legal consulting firm ZebraLC, reinforced this view in my mind.

Three years ago, Zoe launched Sale-based ZebraLC after her daughter was diagnosed with a life-threatening condition.

She explained: “I left private practice in 2012 in order to work flexibly around my daughter’s hospital regime. This provided a ‘blank book’ enabling me to think creatively.

“What started as a kernel of an idea has now snowballed into an offering that the legal sector now demands.”

“The UK legal sector was undergoing unprecedented change bringing a growing need for law firms, banks, insurers and funders to ascertain a deeper understanding of WIP value and operational risk.”

She added: “I set up ZebraLC to deliver a unique value proposition. What started as a kernel of an idea has now snowballed into an offering that the legal sector now demands.”

As any entrepreneur will testify, a business needs to adapt to the changes in its marketplace if it stands any chance of gaining a solid foothold. I asked Zoe if ZebraLC’s ethos or mission had altered at all since it was founded.

“Our reach now extends to Australia and the US. We have created our own unique market and we are proud of that.”

“In three years, the business has evolved from a ‘one-man band’ to the UK’s leading technical due diligence specialist,” she explained. “The business has a corporate structure, achieved ISO9001 in year two and now works with banks, PLCs, law firms, funders and insurers.

“Our reach now extends to Australia and the US. We have created our own unique market and we are proud of that.”

ZebraLC has carried out projects in a number of areas, including conveyancing, personal injury, commercial property, serious fraud, commercial litigation and private client work.

Zoe continued: “There is a realisation in the sector of the criticality of undertaking independent ‘no holds barred’ reviews to benchmark quality, expertise, risk and financial management, as well assessment of WIP for M&A and bank funding.”

The Zebra ethos, she told me, has always incorporated openness, transparency, integrity and trust - values that Zoe said are based on her own approach to life.

“Our mission,” Zoe continued, “over time has become very clear and that is to work with our clients to enable them to gain a deep and thorough insight to their risk profiles, value and opportunities providing facts that helps them to make informed decisions in order to progress.”

Next, I asked Zoe about the niche that ZebraLC occupies in the legal consulting sector and the challenges it faces in doing so.

“It is my belief,” she replied, “that what I have created is a specialist niche in a new era of legal services becoming known as a specialist WIP and technical due diligence and independent audit experts.

“One of the biggest challenges as a company we are faced with is keeping ahead of the game, staying in front whilst maintaining such high levels of client satisfaction delivering on the day to day.”

Zoe added: “The landscape continues to evolve so further opportunities will present themselves, we have to be and we will be, ready and equipped to take them on!”

Earlier this year, the company broadened its offering with the launch of ZebraTD, a personal injury technical development and risk outsourcing arm, so I asked Zoe if the company plans to branch out further in the near future.

She said: “Absolutely, as we take on more highly complex projects for our clients, more opportunities are being seized around new innovation, as well as providing further consultancy on provision of recommendations to improve a client’s position within their market.”

Looking ahead, Zoe seemed totally confident about the business’ ability to achieve continued growth in the coming years.

“Solicitors collaborating within a highly complex arena will inevitably lead to new unexplored territories, providing plenty of opportunity for continued growth.”

“Part of the [ZebraTD] offering is a personal injury sector first: an online, on-demand knowledge share and risk outsourcing service in complex litigation areas such as industrial disease, clinical negligence and serious injury.”

“Solicitors collaborating within a highly complex arena will inevitably lead to new unexplored territories, providing plenty of opportunity for continued growth.”

The firm’s strategy, she said, remains focused on its mission of “being appropriate and relevant to those with whom we work”.

Zoe described how ZebraLC has “a competitive advantage through innovation, having an industry unique methodology, facilitated by an online audit process and project management, through a bespoke cloud-based system, providing flexibility when required.”

Discussing the fact that the landscape in which the firm operates will doubtless evolve in the coming years, Zoe said: “We’re ready to respond to that – and therefore so are our clients.”

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