Tasnim Khalid — known as Taz — is the founding and managing partner of Private Client Solicitors, a boutique private wealth law firm based in Manchester, England. Founded in 2021, the firm has grown from a small team in a cubby hole to a practice of more than 30 people occupying half a floor of a Manchester office building. In year four, the firm was named Legal 500 Partner of the Year for Private Wealth at the Northern Powerhouse Awards. The firm also won Chambers High Net Worth Emerging Law Firm of the Year and was named in The Times Top 250 Law Firms.
I asked Taz what led her to start her own firm.
"I spent 16 years of my career in big corporate city firms," she told me. "And it gets to a point where that didn't suit me or my clients anymore. And then I just decided to break away and set up."
What she didn't fully anticipate was who would come with her.
"About 95% of the team followed me," she said. "And that then translated itself into our own boutique law firm, which has just gone from strength to strength."
The original vision was more modest — a lifestyle business that would fit around her young family, giving her the flexibility to be honest with clients about sports days and nativity plays. What she got was something bigger.
"When you've got 30 staff in a fully fledged law firm that's in the Legal 500, that's in Chambers, that's in The Times top law firms, there's more demand on your services," she said. "I do think I've got the work-life balance right, but I'm distracted with different things than I initially thought I'd be distracted with."
Two things drove her to leave: the pace of decision-making and the pace of technology adoption. In a large firm, even straightforward decisions required board-level discussion. And the technology she knew could make things faster and better for clients was moving too slowly.
"Being able to be a lot more agile and flexible in the way we work — getting a decision made very quickly, because the decision rests with me — that was one of the key drivers," she said.
She built the infrastructure from day one. Even when the firm was small, she hired a PA, an office manager, a practice manager, and a finance manager. The principle was simple.
"A great tip I got was to not only have your to-do list, but also have your not-to-do list. And on your not-to-do list, delegate it out. Just don't do it."
"Everything comes in seasons, and my season right now is growing this company, which I am very passionate about. It is also a hobby of mine."
The firm's internal mantra captures it simply: excellence is expected.
Are you looking for private wealth legal advice in Manchester or across the UK? Connect with Tasnim Khalid and check out Private Client Solicitors.