1541 : LAW ACCOUNTANTS LTD

💤Zombieactive
SC398634 · ltd · incorporated 2011-05-03
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to May 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: Accounting and auditing activities
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 65-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 65). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (78/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
2 officers (1 active, 2 linked, 2 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
33 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0May 2024May 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-05-312024-05-31
Average employees2200

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

1 signal detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (20 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-10-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-02-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-11-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-02-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2021-11-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-01-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2019-12-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2019-02-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  9. 2018-06-01
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extended
    accounts · AA01
  10. 2018-02-01
    ➖
    CUTHBERT, Brian, Dr resigned
    director
  11. 2018-02-01
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  12. 2017-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2017-08-25
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  14. 2016-12-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2016-05-27
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2015-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2015-06-15
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  18. 2011-05-03
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As 1541 : LAW ACCOUNTANTS LTD
  19. 2011-05-03
    ➕
    DELANEY, Frances appointed
    director
  20. 2011-05-03
    ➕
    CUTHBERT, Brian, Dr appointed
    director

Owner dependency

90/100
Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

78/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 15 years.
  • supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Ms Frances Delaney
Individual · Scottish · DOB 12/1961 · age 65
75–100%
—75-100% shares03/05/2017

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

Similar companies

Active · Professional services · EH postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
ACCESS BUSINESS SERVICES (EDINBURGH) LIMITED→
SC457422 · est 2013 · no financials extracted
————12y——
ACCOUNTANCY SCOTLAND (BORDERS) LIMITED→
SC699121 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
————4y——
ACCOUNTANCY SCOTLAND (PERTH AND KINROSS) LIMITED→
SC678737 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
————5y——
ACCOUNTANCY SOFTWARE LIMITED→
SC699198 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
————4y——
ACCOUNTANTS PL LTD→
SC552385 · est 2016 · no financials extracted
————9y——
ACGT LIMITED→
SC827482 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————1y——
ACRECOAST LIMITED→
SC238234 · est 2002 · no financials extracted
————23y——
ACTAB LTD→
SC628462 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
————6y——
ACTM HOLDINGS LIMITED→
SC555738 · est 2017 · no financials extracted
————9y——
ACUMEN (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→
SC238211 · est 2002 · no financials extracted
————23y——
ADAM ADVISORY ASSOCIATES LIMITED→
SC772472 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
ADAMSON MUCKETT LIMITED→
SC611343 · est 2018 · no financials extracted
————7y——
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

8 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
🔒Advanced scoring suite

Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Company details

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2011-05-03
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC69201 — Accounting and auditing activities

Registered office

13/3 Watson Crescent
Edinburgh
EH11 1HB
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-05-12
Last: 2025-04-28

Officers (1 active · 1 resigned)

DELANEY, Frances→
director · ~65y · appointed 2011-05-03
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CUTHBERT, Brian, Dr→
director · ~62y · appointed 2011-05-03 · resigned 2018-02-01
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Recent filings (33 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-10-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-02-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-11-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-02-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-11-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-01-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-05-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-12-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-05-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-02-27