Outcome Study: Orion Legal Group

Project Snapshot

Client: Orion Legal Group

Sector: Professional Services – Legal Advisory

Location: London, United Kingdom

Annual Revenue (at start): £13M

Challenge: Despite a strong reputation, Orion was spread thin across too many practice areas, stuck in lengthy client acquisition cycles, and watching margins erode. Growth had stalled, and partner time was consumed by firefighting operational issues.

Outcome: By focusing on their most profitable practice areas, simplifying their offering, and rebuilding their client acquisition approach, Orion increased annual revenue run-rate to £16.8M within 18 months, improved engagement profitability by 25%, and freed partners to focus on strategic growth whilst navigating some implementation challenges along the way.

A Legal Firm at a Crossroads

Orion Legal Group had built a solid reputation over two decades, serving mid-market businesses across finance, healthcare, and property. With £13M in annual revenue and 90 staff, the firm was well-established, but growth had flatlined.

Referrals and reputation kept clients coming, but not always the right ones. The firm offered services across twelve practice areas, stretching partners and associates across a wide range of low- and mid-value matters. Lengthy pitch processes often dragged on for months, whilst delivery costs crept steadily higher.

The partners were well-regarded in the market, but being busy didn't translate to being profitable. Margins were under pressure, and the leadership team felt increasingly reactive rather than strategic.

What We Found

When we analysed Orion's client records, billing data, and time logs through our Outcome Intelligence platform, several patterns emerged:

• Profit concentration: 68% of their £3.1M profit came from just four of twelve practice areas: corporate law, commercial property, employment disputes, and regulatory compliance.

• Pipeline inefficiency: Average client acquisition cycles stretched 7–10 months due to broad, bespoke proposals that often missed the mark on client priorities.

• Practice dilution: Six of their practice areas generated margins below 15% once all costs were properly allocated.

• Partner overstretch: Senior partners were directly involved in 72% of new business development and remained heavily involved in day-to-day case delivery.

The challenge wasn't reputation or capability; it was focus and resource allocation.

How We Tackled It

Working alongside Orion's leadership team, we developed a phased approach to rebuild the firm around clarity and profitability:

Phase 1 (Months 1-6):

• Narrowed focus to four core practice areas where they consistently delivered premium results

• Developed targeted positioning and standardised proposal frameworks for these areas

• Created a case study library and thought leadership content aligned to their new focus

Phase 2 (Months 7-12):

• Implemented delivery frameworks and workflow templates to reduce overruns

• Trained mid-level associates to handle more routine aspects of case management

• Established monthly performance dashboards tracking key profitability metrics

Phase 3 (Ongoing):

• Transitioned remaining practice areas to trusted referral partners

• Launched targeted business development programme for high-value prospects

• Refined pricing strategy to better reflect value delivered

The Results

By month 12, the transformation had generated measurable improvements, though not without some bumps along the way:

Financial Performance:

• Annual revenue run-rate grew from £13M to £16.8M (29% increase)

• Engagement profitability improved by 25%, lifting profit from £3.1M to £3.9M

• Average engagement value increased by 35% as the firm commanded premium fees in their core areas

Operational Efficiency:

• Sales cycles reduced from an average of 8.5 months to 5.5 months

• Associate utilisation improved by 18%, equivalent to freeing roughly 10 full-time lawyers' worth of capacity

• Partner time spent on business development increased by 40%

Implementation Challenges:

• Two partners initially resisted the narrower focus, concerned about losing existing clients

• Staff reductions in non-core areas created temporary capacity constraints during the transition

• It took longer than anticipated to fully implement the new delivery frameworks

  
  

A Managing Partner's Reflection

"CoreTheorem helped us see what we couldn't see ourselves: That our biggest strength was also our biggest weakness. We were good at lots of things, but great at only a few. The transition wasn't always smooth, and we had some difficult conversations about what to stop doing. But the data doesn't lie, and neither do our bank balances. We're now genuinely excited about growth rather than just grinding through each quarter."

Key Takeaways

Orion's experience illustrates a common challenge for established mid-tier law firms: the assumption that breadth equals strength. In practice, spreading expertise too thinly often dilutes the value proposition, extends sales cycles, and compresses margins.

The most successful transformations require three elements: clear data on where profits actually come from, the discipline to say no to lower-value opportunities, and robust systems to deliver consistently in chosen areas.

Outcome Intelligence provides the analytical foundation for these decisions, but the real work lies in execution, which rarely goes exactly to plan.

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Disclaimer: The company names, characters, and identifying details used in these Outcome Stories are anonymised unless explicitly stated otherwise. Each story is derived from real client engagements and represents a synthesis of data, insights, and results drawn from CoreTheorem’s work with businesses in similar contexts. Figures, timelines, and outcomes are based on actual performance data but may be generalised, aggregated, or adjusted for confidentiality. Any resemblance to specific individuals or organisations, living or defunct, is coincidental where names are not disclosed with permission. Images, trademarks, and design elements remain the property of their respective owners and are used here solely for illustrative purposes. These stories are intended for informational use only and do not constitute guarantees of future performance or results.