Dow Schofield Watts (DSW) has launched a new legal division, DSW Legal, with James Mallender appointed as managing director. The new business builds on DSW’s acquisition of DR Solicitors in 2024 and is designed as a challenger legal platform aimed at attracting lawyers seeking an alternative to traditional partnership models.
Mallender brings 30 years’ experience across City law firms and high-growth legal businesses. After qualifying as a real estate lawyer at SJBerwin and later becoming a partner at Womble Bond Dickinson, he joined legal start-up The Legal Director in 2012, where he helped grow the business into what became the UK’s largest provider of fractional general counsel services.
As managing director of DSW Legal, Mallender will focus on expanding the new division and recruiting lawyers looking to build their own business with the support of an established professional services brand. DSW said the launch follows strong growth at DR Solicitors, which has added 10 consultants and increased revenues by 11% since its acquisition.
Mallender said: ‘Ambitious professionals are increasingly looking to alternative models to take control of their career,’ adding that DSW Legal offered ‘a true challenger platform for the industry’. Shru Morris, chief executive at Dow Schofield Watts, said the new division would provide ‘an attractive home for top legal talent seeking an alternative career path’, while describing Mallender as ‘an excellent addition’ to the business.
