Leeds law firm Switalskis acquires costs specialist Calculus

The Leeds-headquartered firm has bought Southport-based Calculus, a specialist legal costs business, in its latest move to expand.

Leeds law firm Switalskis has acquired Calculus, a specialist legal costs business, in its latest step of growth. Switalskis – a national firm with its head office in Leeds, 11 offices and more than 380 staff – has bought Calculus Legal Costs Holdings, which advises personal injury and clinical negligence solicitors on the complex business of legal costs. Calculus will keep its name, its team and its clients, and continue to operate as a separate business within the group.

Why This Matters For Leeds

Law is one of Leeds’ economic mainstays. Switalskis buying a specialist rather than merging with a rival shows a locally headquartered business building depth in-house, keeping skilled work anchored in the region. For Leeds, a deal run from a local head office is a reminder that the city is a base for firms that acquire, not just targets to be acquired.

What the Leeds law firm has acquired

Calculus was founded in Southport in 2003 by John Hayes and has built a reputation advising many of the UK’s leading personal injury and clinical negligence practices on costs budgets, bills of costs and costs hearings. Switalskis knows the business well, having used its services since 2018. Under the deal, Calculus keeps its brand, staff and commercial terms, Hayes stays on as a director, and Switalskis has committed to keeping the Southport office. For Switalskis, bringing a trusted costs specialist in-house adds capability its own personal injury and clinical negligence teams already rely on, while giving Calculus the backing of a larger group.

“Switalskis was a natural choice.”

— John Hayes, Founder, Calculus

Part of a growing regional firm

The acquisition continues a steady expansion for the Leeds law firm, which has grown into one of the larger legal practices in the region, with offices across Yorkshire and the North West and a focus on areas including personal injury, clinical and medical negligence and private client work. Chief executive John Durkan said the deal reflected a shared approach, noting the two businesses had ‘both built reputations on putting clients first’. For the Leeds legal sector, it is another example of a locally headquartered firm using acquisitions to add specialist capability rather than simply growing headcount. Legal costs is a niche but essential discipline, and owning that expertise outright gives the group more control over a part of the process that directly affects what clients and cases recover.