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Alternative legal services provider Lawyers On Demand (LOD) is launching its in-house-only legal services offering in the U.K., on the back of recent regulatory changes.

The U.K. launch of LOD Legal follows a successful three-month pilot that, in an interview with Law.com International, LOD's co-founder Simon Harper said received strong feedback from its select group of clients.

Populated entirely of former in-house lawyers, the U.K offering mirrors the firm's Australian model, which launched in 2017, and will provide in-house lawyers with access to immediate law firm support, advice and interim staff, among other services.

The U.K. pilot was launched in December, just weeks after the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) introduced its new standards and regulations that enable individual solicitors in England and Wales to deliver services more as freelancers, without being subject to full regulation that the SRA previously required.

Harper said: "The changes to the rules opened things up. So we've been running the pilot and are learning from that process. We're now launching to the wider market on the back of the pilot."

Globally, LOD Legal is currently staffed by over 30 former in-house lawyers and also operates in New Zealand. LOD said it expects its employment law capabilities to be available to clients "shortly".

Harper added in a statement: "We've always looked to make the most of market developments to give in-house teams interesting new options. LOD Legal is about building the next piece in that jigsaw – a law firm for in-house lawyers, by in-house lawyers.

"This is about somewhere to do the everyday work that traditional law firms weren't designed for."

The move follows LOD's hire of former head of legal operations at the John Lewis Partnership, Maria Passemard, in a rare example of an in-house lawyer joining an alternative legal business.

With reporting by Krishnan Nair.