After more than 25 years of helping consumers stand up for their rights, Bott and Co is proud to announce its transition to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), marking a significant milestone in the firm’s history.
Founded in 2001, Bott and Co have grown into one of the UK’s leading consumer law firms, handling more than 100,000 claims each year and recovering millions of pounds in compensation for clients across the country.
From flight delay compensation to financial mis-selling claims, the firm has built a reputation for combining legal expertise, innovation and scale to deliver meaningful outcomes for consumers.
The move to employee ownership ensures the long-term independence of the business while placing its future in the hands of the people who have helped build it.
A Natural Next Step For The Firm
As founders David Bott, Gary Froggatt and Paul Hinchliffe prepare for retirement over the coming years, significant thought has gone into how the firm’s culture, values and independence can be protected for the long term.
Over the last two decades, Bott and Co have become a commercially successful and highly respected business, powered by exceptional people and driven by strong values.
The founders wanted to ensure that the next chapter of the firm’s story continued to reflect those principles while recognising the contribution of the employees who helped make the business what it is today.
After exploring a range of succession options, including a trade sale, merger and run-off strategies, the founders concluded that employee ownership was the best fit for the future of Bott and Co.
Under the new structure, the business will be owned for the benefit of all employees, creating a stable and sustainable platform for continued growth while preserving the culture and values that have defined the firm since its inception.
What we’ve built over the last two decades has only been possible because of the incredible people around us, our colleagues, clients, partners and wider community. The care, dedication and professionalism our team brings every day is what defines Bott and Co.
This transition ensures the people who have contributed to our success are directly invested in our future, while preserving the independence, culture and values that have always mattered to us.
25 Years Of Standing Up For Consumers
Since 2001, Bott and Co have been at the forefront of consumer rights in the UK, helping shape the legal landscape through landmark litigation and large-scale consumer claims.
Over the years, the firm has played a pivotal role in precedent-setting legal cases, including:
- Establishing that routine technical faults do not exempt airlines from paying compensation for delays
- Securing extended limitation periods for flight delay claims
- Acting in ongoing high-profile litigation concerning hidden commissions in motor finance agreements
These legal milestones have contributed to billions of pounds in compensation being made available to consumers across the UK.
The firm has also delivered strong outcomes for clients through:
- High success rates in complex financial mis-selling claims
- Thousands of successful flight delay compensation cases
- Recovering compensation worth thousands of pounds for many consumers in financial claims
Just as importantly, Bott and Co have helped improve awareness of consumer rights, empowering individuals to better understand and exercise those rights.
Built By People
What Bott and Co have built since 2001 was never the result of one case, one campaign or one individual.
It has been built by:
- Colleagues who care deeply about doing things properly
- Clients who trusted the firm during stressful moments in their lives
- Partners and supporters who backed and challenged the business
- And the wider Wilmslow community that has supported the firm along the way
Over the past 25 years, Bott and Co have played a part in improving consumer rights across the UK, from standing up for passengers affected by flight delays to fighting for fairness in motor finance claims and helping clients navigate evolving claims processes.
But beyond the legal outcomes, the firm remains most proud of the care, persistence and decency its people bring to work every day, especially when clients need support the most.
Employee ownership reflects that belief: that the future success of Bott and Co should belong to the people who help create it.
David Bott, Senior Partner and EOT Trustee at Bott and Co, said:
“Reaching 25 years in business is a significant achievement, and transitioning to employee ownership is a natural next step for the firm.
What we’ve built over the last two decades has only been possible because of the incredible people around us, our colleagues, clients, partners and wider community. The care, dedication and professionalism our team brings every day is what defines Bott and Co.
This transition ensures the people who have contributed to our success are directly invested in our future, while preserving the independence, culture and values that have always mattered to us.
Our mission remains the same: helping consumers stand up for their rights and secure the compensation they deserve, with people continuing to sit at the heart of everything we do.”
Looking Ahead
The consumer claims landscape continues to evolve, particularly with significant developments expected in areas such as motor finance litigation. Bott and Co remain committed to staying at the forefront of consumer justice by combining legal expertise, technology and scale to support clients effectively in the years ahead.
As an employee-owned business, Bott and Co is well positioned to build on its track record over the next 25 years and beyond protecting its independence, supporting its people and continuing to deliver justice for consumers across the UK.
Bott and Co is a proud member of the Employee Ownership Association (EOA).
What Is An EOT?
An Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) is a business structure where a company is owned on behalf of its employees through a trust.
Rather than being owned by external shareholders or sold to another business, Bott and Co will now be owned for the long-term benefit of the people who work here.
Employee ownership is increasingly being adopted by successful UK businesses that want to:
- Protect their independence
- Preserve company culture and values
- Reward and retain talented employees
- Create long-term stability for clients and staff
Well-known employee-owned businesses in the UK include the John Lewis Partnership and Richer Sounds.
At Bott and Co, employee ownership means the business can continue focusing on what matters most: delivering excellent outcomes for clients while protecting the culture and values built over the last 25 years.
What Does It Mean For The People Who Work In The Business?
Employee ownership gives employees a meaningful stake in the future success of the business.
While the day-to-day running of the firm remains unchanged, the new structure means:
- The business is operated for the long-term benefit of employees
- Employees have a stronger voice in the future direction of the firm
- The firm can continue investing in its people, technology and client service
- The culture and independence of the business are protected
Most importantly, employee ownership recognises the contribution our people make every day to supporting clients through important and often stressful situations.
The transition reflects a simple belief: the future success of Bott and Co should benefit the people who help create it.
What Does It Mean For My Claim?
For clients, it is very much business as usual.
Your claim, legal representation and communication channels remain exactly the same. The same legal teams, specialists and support staff continue to handle claims with the same commitment and professionalism.
Becoming employee owned does not affect:
- Existing claims
- Ongoing litigation
- Compensation entitlement
- No win, no fee agreements
- Regulatory obligations
- Client care standards
If anything, employee ownership strengthens Bott and Co’s long-term commitment to clients by ensuring the firm remains independent and focused on delivering the best possible outcomes for consumers.
Our mission remains unchanged: helping people stand up for their rights and secure the compensation they deserve.