Llewelyn Zietman has forged a lucrative deal with Judicium to create a website aimed at creating and acquiring niche companies.
The launch of Judicium will coincide with the rollout of its first two web-based products: eSettle, an insurance claims settlement facility; and Freelawyer, a free consumers' legal information service. Both products will operate from separate websites under the Judicium umbrella.
Ian Macdonald, a partner at Llewelyn Zietman, said: "We are acting as their legal counsel on a range of issues, but it is not as if the legal aspect of the services they provide online is connected to us."
Practising lawyers on Judicium's board include chief executive Leon de Costa, a barrister specialising in criminal law and fraud, and Nimble Thompson, a former national vice chairman of Eversheds. The director of Freelawyer, Rohit Shukla, is a former Llewelyn Zietman marketing executive.
"We are not launching either of them for a few weeks," said de Costa. "The degree of sophistication in Freelawyer is unique. Judicium has developed a 'back end' to Freelawyer for legal professionals.
Judicium hired Llewelyn Zietman because of its reputation in IT and IP. "We have negotiated preferential terms and in that sense, it is a partner. However, the site intends to keep itself independent from law firms. The nearest we have is the preferential deal with Llewelyn Zietman," de Costa said. "We want to work with all law firms – we do not want a situation where there is rivalry or fear of a conflict."
The commission represents a significant windfall for Llewelyn Zietman. "They are a niche firm and that is why we went to them,"
said de Costa. "What they get is a lot of hours' work. We are talking to a French site about taking over part of that company. We are also looking for other partners in Europe."
Macdonald said: "Judicium has got some really clever ideas. The kind of legal services it provides are not going to challenge, say, Allen & Overy, but it will be interesting to see their impact on the market."