Get quotes from SRA-regulated law firms in one consistent format, so you can see what a fair fee looks like and choose with confidence. Every instruction funds free legal advice for people who cannot afford a lawyer.
Built by Anna Crosse, a General Counsel with 15 years' experience instructing law firms.
Extended round · 5 sealed quotes · fixed fee, excluding VAT
Swipe the table to see all five firms.
| Quote detail | Firm ATech-led | Firm BBoutique | Firm CRegional | Firm DNational | Firm ECity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed fee | £1,900 | £2,500 | £4,200 | £6,800 | £9,900 |
| Mark-up rounds | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Negotiation calls | None | None | 1 | 2 | Up to 3 |
| Lead lawyer(s) | Solicitor, AI-assisted drafting | Senior Associate | Partner | Senior Associate | Associate, Partner review |
| Turnaround (first review) | 1 day | 4 days | 5 days | 3 days | 2 days |
| Charity pledge | 5%£95 | 2%£50 | 1%£42 | 0.5%£34 | 0.5%£49.50 |
Same brief, same format. The fees differ because the scope differs, and now you can see exactly how.
Illustrative summary only: not real firms or quotes. The full comparison will also show each firm's assumptions, exclusions, team, why it is the right firm, and answers to the criteria you set.
Each firm answers the same brief in the same format, so you can see what you are paying for, where the fees differ and why. One screen, not six emails.
“Comparing quotes from different firms means comparing email threads in three formats. Having every firm answer the same brief in the same way paves the way for a transparent and efficient procurement process.”
“I have my go-to firms, but being able to invite others to quote without adding time or work would be hugely valuable.”
“A clear record, an efficient workflow, and comparison tools are exactly what I need when I go to external counsel for quotes.”
“As a sole legal counsel of a start up, support in cutting admin hours in collating quotes is invaluable and I'm always looking to expand my legal network.”
Two problems at opposite ends of the same profession. Counsel Bids uses one to help fix the other.
+54%
rise in the top ten UK law firms' average hourly rate between 2019 and 2025.
Most in-house teams ask a few firms for quotes. What comes back is scattered across emails, in different formats, with different assumptions. Comparing like with like is hard, and there is no benchmark to judge the result against.
Source: PwC Law Firms' Survey 2024 (2019 rate) and 2025.
82%
of people in England and Wales have no local legal aid provider to help challenge a refused or reduced benefit.
Legally aided early advice fell from almost a million cases a year in 2009/10 to around 130,000 by 2021/22. The charities filling the gap are stretched thin.
Sources: The Law Society legal aid desert maps, April 2025; Law Society LASPO analysis, 2023.
Counsel Bids tackles both, with every matter you run through it.
Made for whoever instructs the lawyers, whether that is a General Counsel, a head of procurement or a managing director. No training or special software needed.
Start from a template. Set the scope, the fee basis and the criteria every firm must answer on, then choose which firms can quote. Names, chronology and papers stay off the platform.
Eligible firms see a short summary of the matter. A firm that wants to quote registers interest, receives the party names to run its conflict check, and gives a confidentiality undertaking before it sees the full brief.
Each firm submits one quote in the same format: fee, assumptions, exclusions, team, timing, answers to your criteria, a short statement on why it is the right firm, and its charity pledge. No firm sees another's quote.
See every quote side by side in the same format. Instruct the firm that fits best and record why: that closes the round, the other firms are told the outcome, and your decision record is ready.
You decide which firms can quote
“Working internationally, I need to know a UK firm's fee is fair before I sign it off. Seeing every quote in the same format makes that a quick decision, not a week of emails.”
Built for lean in-house teams without dedicated procurement support, and for business leaders who instruct lawyers without a legal team at all.
Once enough rounds have closed, see where a fee sits against the market. Figures appear only when no single buyer, firm or matter can be picked out.
Regional and specialist firms with the right experience at the right price, alongside the firms you already know.
Who was asked, what each firm quoted, who was chosen and why, with a tamper-evident record of the round. Ready for the CFO, the board or the auditor.
Each instruction funds free legal advice. The firm's pledge is shown next to its price; once appointed, the firm records it, pays the charity direct and confirms.
“Most in-house teams don't have a procurement function to lean on, and there's been little built for us until now.”
Run a competitive round in minutes, and keep a clear record of who was asked, what they quoted and why you chose.
Join the pilot as an in-house teamAn experienced GC can shape your brief, explain what each quote does and does not cover, and help you choose. Pick Legal Chief, the founder's fractional GC practice, or ask us to introduce an independent GC.
Ask for a GC reviewLegal Chief Limited is owned by the founder of Counsel Bids and so has a financial interest in the platform. No reviewer will quote for, or act on, work they have reviewed. Reviewers are not acting as SRA-regulated firms, so SRA protections such as the Compensation Fund and the Legal Ombudsman do not apply. Each reviewer holds its own professional indemnity insurance and handles any complaint directly.
The profession already gives generously. Counsel Bids makes giving part of how businesses buy legal services, so it happens with every instruction, not only when someone remembers.
£6,800 × 0.5% = £34
The fee × the firm's pledge of at least 0.5%, paid by the firm direct to free legal advice, at no cost to you.
Every firm pledges at least 0.5% of its fee to free legal advice and can choose to give more. The pledge is shown to you next to the firm's price.
Firms pay the charity direct and confirm the payment on Counsel Bids. Each pledge is marked confirmed once the charity reports the money received.
Every pledge supports a specialist funder of free legal advice.
“Building access-to-justice giving into how we buy legal services, rather than leaving it as an afterthought, is an excellent idea.”
Counsel Bids puts your firm in front of in-house teams and business leaders who are ready to instruct, with a clear scope. Every firm, from specialist boutique to international practice, has the same chance to show its expertise, team and value.
Quote for matters from buyers who are actively looking for the right firm, not only those who already know you. Your expertise and team are what they see first.
Every quote includes your own statement on why your firm is the right choice, alongside your team, approach and pledge, in front of a buyer who is choosing right now. More direct than a directory listing, lighter than a pitch.
Quotes are sealed. You see your own quote and nobody else's, so no competitor can see your price and undercut it.
Register interest and you receive the party names to run your check, before you see the full brief or price a word of it.
Your pledge is shown to the buyer next to your price. Each pledge you pay is recorded on Counsel Bids and confirmed once the charity reports the money received.
No percentage of fees and no referral payments, ever. After the pilot, firms pay a flat subscription, with prices published before launch.
“Mishcon is delighted to be a pilot firm for Counsel Bids. As legal teams are facing increasing pressure on spend, having a clear system with all the RFP/pitch data in one place makes complete sense while also contributing to access to justice. It feels like it should be a win-win for everyone.”
The first firms in get the most exposure: while the network is small, they can register interest in every Open request in their practice areas, and be put forward for Extended ones, and they help shape how the platform works. Open to SRA-regulated firms in England and Wales, with a partner or director as named contact.
Counsel Bids was built by Anna Crosse, a General Counsel with 15 years' in-house experience, including as the first General Counsel of one of the UK's fastest-growing telecoms businesses. In 2025, she was named on The Lawyer's ‘Growth List’ as a Top 20 GC for Growth and Venture Capital in Europe.
She has spent years asking law firms for quotes, then trying to compare answers that arrived in different formats, with different assumptions. Counsel Bids is the tool she wanted: every firm answers the same brief, confidential facts stay with the client, quotes stay sealed, and nobody takes a cut of the legal fees.
She is also passionate about access to justice. Too many people cannot get the legal advice they need, so she built giving into every instruction.
No. In both kinds of round you choose on value, weighing fee against experience, team and approach, and you never have to pick the lowest price or to hire anyone. In a sealed round, the usual choice, each firm quotes once against the same brief and never sees another firm's price or identity. In a live round, which you can choose for well-defined work from a template, firms quote in full first and may then lower their fixed fee in a short window. Rank in that window is by fee alone, but each firm sees only its own rank, never another firm's fee or name, and scope and team are locked, so a lower fee cannot mean less work. When the window closes you compare the final quotes on value, exactly as in a sealed round.
No. A firm sees its own quote and nothing else. This is enforced in the database itself, not just hidden on screen.
Yes. You can post a request anonymously, so firms see a short summary of the matter but not who you are. A firm that registers interest receives the party names, including yours, so it can run its conflict check, and gives a confidentiality undertaking before it sees the full brief. Firms that do not register interest never learn who you are. When you close the round, the other firms are told the outcome, but not which firm you chose.
Yes. Invite your usual firms by name or email, on their own or alongside new firms. A firm that is not yet on Counsel Bids is checked before it can see your request.
Every firm is checked against the SRA register before it can quote, whichever firms you choose to invite. Counsel Bids is open only to firms authorised and regulated by the SRA in England and Wales.
Scope and parameters only: the type of work, what you want covered, timing and the criteria firms must answer on. Chronology, party narrative and case papers stay off the platform. Party names are released only to firms that register interest, so they can run a conflict check, and every confidentiality undertaking is logged.
No, never. Buyers use Counsel Bids free during the pilot. After the pilot, law firms will pay a flat subscription, with prices published before launch.
When you instruct a firm, you record your choice and your reason on Counsel Bids, which closes the round. The firm then records its pledge, at least 0.5% of its fee, pays it direct to the charity and confirms the payment. The pledge is marked confirmed once the charity reports the money received, and you can see its status on your request. There is nothing more for you to do after closing the round.
No. Counsel Bids is a procurement platform for business buyers of legal services. It does not give legal advice. The firms that quote are SRA-regulated and are responsible for the advice they give.
We are working with a small group of in-house teams, business leaders and law firms to shape Counsel Bids before launch. Join now and help build a fairer way to buy legal services, where every matter also funds free legal advice for someone who needs it.
hello@counselbids.com