How I Started My Own Law Firm with Excello Law: DBA Law

Why I Chose to Set Up My Own Practice with Excello Law

The reason I left traditional law is simple: I reached a point where I knew the direction of travel in my old firm wasn’t the direction for me. I’d always enjoyed the work, the clients, the relationships and practising law, but over time it became clear that “working for working’s sake” was creeping in. I didn’t want to be part of a structure that measured value by time recorded rather than outcomes achieved. At this stage of my career I realised I finally had the experience, the confidence and the motivation to do things in a way that truly suited me and the clients I serve.

I’ve spent decades working with insurers and corporate clients in the construction industry, and one thing I’ve learned is that people in this sector appreciate clarity. They want to know what they’re getting, what it’s going to cost, and they want a lawyer who doesn’t just advise from the sidelines but who really understands how a project runs and where risks materialise. In a traditional firm the bureaucracy, targets and internal processes often got in the way of service. I wanted to change that.

When my old firm was about to be acquired, everyone was given a choice: stay or go. That was my moment. With just a month to act, I spoke with Anna Albini and Helena Bannister, whom I’d worked closely with for years, and we decided to take the leap together. We knew that if we were going to make this work, we wanted to do it as a team, supporting each other while building something of our own – and DBA Law was born.

We considered other options. One was a private investor setting up a law firm for us, but we quickly realised that model would have been worse than a traditional firm as it would have taken away the control we wanted. We also looked at setting up entirely independently, but the practicalities were daunting. It would have taken at least six months just to get SRA registration sorted before having to pay for professional indemnity insurance upfront, finding a physical office, hiring staff and getting all the back-office systems in place. We simply didn’t have that time.

In contrast, partnering with Excello gave us speed, infrastructure and support while letting us retain full autonomy over our work.

The launch of DBA Law

Launching DBA Law was intense. Excello connected us straight away with an accountant, we got the company set up and we began preparing to move. We had to put in our resignations, make sure we were covenant-free and plan for the first months of building the practice. It was exciting, but nerve-wracking. In our very first week we were billing on urgent matters – seeing that first invoice go out felt like a milestone as it was confirmation that this leap was going to work.

The freedom of partnering with Excello was incredible. We could choose how and where to work, which clients and projects to take on, and the pace at which we wanted to operate. At the same time, we weren’t on our own. Excello provided office space, compliance advice, back-office support, marketing assistance and administrative help. It was everything we needed to focus on the work we loved.

A strong network

Generating business was never a real concern. We were confident our clients would follow us because of the strong relationships we had built over time, and we knew people like to work with people, not firms. That quickly proved to be true. On top of that, the curated Excello referrals network created a steady flow of new opportunities. Through a mix of referrals, introductions to other lawyers, and genuine cross-disciplinary collaboration, we were never working in isolation.

The internal support worked just as it would in a traditional firm, if not better as everyone shared the same incentives and invested in each other’s success. The result was a community that not only opened doors to new work in unexpected ways but also made launching our practice feel safer, more connected and far more sustainable than we’d expected.

The first few months were exhilarating. Every decision was ours to make, every success ours to claim, and every challenge ours to solve. The independence brought responsibility, but also a sense of fulfilment I’d never felt in a traditional firm. There was no billable clock dictating my day, no unnecessary meetings, no politics – just clear, focused work creating real value for clients.

Looking back, it feels like everything in my career led to this point – the insurer work, the construction cases, the relationships I’ve built over decades. Forming DBA Law wasn’t about taking a risk, but finally working in a way that made sense. It was about doing the best work we could, delivering true value and enjoying the journey along the way.

The truth is, I’m enjoying the job more now than I ever have in years.