Meridian Legal Services Limited

Reference number: 837833

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Authorised by the FCA

This firm is on the FCA register and authorised to carry out regulated activities.

Website, phone number and address

Compare these against whatever you were given. Scammers clone real firm names and reference numbers but use their own phone number and website, so a detail that does not match the register is the clearest warning sign there is.

In the full report: 3 background checks

  • When meridianlegalservices.co.uk first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
  • What kind of line 0121 516 0675 is
  • Who else gives the postcode B37 7YB
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Other names (6)

If you were contacted under any of these names, it is this firm.

  • Ember Claims Trading name
  • IDS Trading name
  • Lip Service Trading name
  • Praetorian Legal Trading name
  • Protect My Build Trading name
  • Praetorian Legal Limited Former name

FCA permissions and consumer protection

  • Claims management No FSCS cover
    Money you pay a claims company is not FSCS protected, but FCA rules cap what it may charge you for a financial services claim. Complaints about this firm go to the Financial Ombudsman Service free of charge.
  • Complaints Ombudsman, free
    You can refer a complaint about this firm to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, whichever activity it relates to.

FCA disciplinary action and complaints

No FCA disciplinary action.

The Financial Ombudsman Service only publishes complaint figures for firms with 30 or more new complaints in six months, so there are none here for this firm.

Companies House record

The company behind the firm: its status, age, registered office and directors.

Company number
09311368
Company status
Active
Company type
Private limited company
Incorporated
14 November 2014 (11 years old)
Registered office
Suite 106 Denning House C/O Know Tax, George Street, Wolverhampton, WV2 4DP, England
Nature of business
  • Other business support service activities not elsewhere classified (SIC 82990)

Directors and company secretaries

Name Role Born Appointed Other companies
Karen Ann Hasker-Smith Director Jan 1966 14 Nov 2014 4 other companies
Gary Wayne Smith Director Aug 1963 16 Feb 2017 None
Helena Jayne Beare Director Jan 1967 7 May 2021 2 other companies

Other companies run by these 3 directors

A firm is run by people, and their other companies are their track record: what they built, what closed, and anything that failed. It is the check most people never think to make.

other companies
5
closed down
2
is FCA-registered
1

In the full report: all 5 companies, named

  • What each company does, and whether it is still trading
  • Which of these 3 directors sit on each board, and since when
  • Any that went into liquidation or administration
  • The one on the FCA register
  • The 1 company these 3 directors run together
  • All 4 people who have ever been directors, with their dates
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Filed accounts and finances

Year to 30 November 2025Abridged accountsNot audited

Net assets

£231k

<1% from £233k

Cash at bank

£144k

+21% from £119k

Employees (average)

5

Same as 5

Assets and liabilities

In the full report: all 7 years of accounts

  • Every year from 2019 to 2025
  • The chart, over every year
  • Every filed figure, year by year
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About these figures
Turnover
Money taken from sales in the year, before any costs.
Profit before tax
What was left after the year’s costs, before corporation tax. A minus figure is a loss.
Net assets, or total equity
Everything the company owns minus everything it owes. A minus figure means it owes more than it owns.
Total assets and total liabilities
Everything the company owns, and everything it owes, on the last day of the year. The gap between them is its net assets.
Cash at bank
Money in the company’s accounts on the last day of the year.
Owed within a year, owed after a year
Debts and bills due in the next twelve months, and those due later.

There is no turnover or profit: small companies do not have to publish them.

Accounts filed at Companies House for company 09311368. Every figure is as filed, apart from total assets and total liabilities, which are added up from filed figures. Nothing is estimated.

Key dates in its history

Meridian Legal Services’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (12) All events (24)

2025

14 August 2025

  • Changed its registered name from "Praetorian Legal Limited"

FCA register

2020

20 February 2020

  • Regulated by the FCA from this date
  • Became authorised by the FCA

FCA register

2019

31 March 2019

  • No longer regulated by the Claims Management Regulator

FCA register

2017

27 July 2017

  • Regulated by the Claims Management Regulator from this date

FCA register

31 March 2017

  • Dominic O'Reilly stopped being a part-owner
  • Gary Wayne Smith became a part-owner (25–50% of shares)

Companies House

2016

1 July 2016

  • Karen Ann Hasker-Smith became a part-owner (25–50% of shares)

Companies House

6 April 2016

  • Dominic O'Reilly became a part-owner (25–50% of shares)
  • Karen Ann Hasker-Smtih became a part-owner (25–50% of shares)
  • Karen Ann Hasker-Smtih stopped being a part-owner

Companies House

2014

14 November 2014

  • Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 24 events

  • All 24 events in its history (12 shown here)
  • Every director appointment and resignation: 5
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Firms connected to Meridian Legal Services

Other FCA-listed firms that share a director, phone number or address with Meridian Legal Services. A link shows who the firm is tied to, not whether either can be trusted.

connected firms
3
share a director
1
share its postcode
2

In the full report: all 3 connected firms, named

  • How each is linked: shared directors (1), the same postcode (2)
  • Who links each one: the named directors, with dates
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Firms like Meridian Legal Services

Other firms of the same type (claims management firm), nearest first.

In Birmingham

Abu ShabirBirminghamAuthorisedAccident Direct Claims LimitedBirminghamAuthorisedAddlington-West Group LtdBirminghamAuthorisedCity Accident Management ltdBirminghamAuthorisedEngland & Wales Employment Advice LimitedBirminghamAuthorisedHatton James Legal LtdBirminghamAuthorised

Firms are listed by type and location, best known first. Being listed is not a recommendation: check any firm before you deal with it.

Get the full report on Meridian Legal Services

Everything on this page, plus everything locked above, in one dated PDF you can keep, file or send on.

  • 5 other companies its directors have run, named
  • 3 background checks on its contact details
  • 7 years of accounts, charted
  • All 24 events in its history
  • 3 connected firms, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Meridian Legal Services Limited FCA authorised?
Yes, Meridian Legal Services Limited (FRN 837833) is authorised by the FCA to carry out regulated activities. It has held its current authorisation since February 2020 and works as a claims management firm. The FCA has placed no limits on its permissions.
What is Meridian Legal Services’ phone number and website?
The FCA register lists the phone number 0121 516 0675 and the website meridianlegalservices.co.uk for Meridian Legal Services. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.
Is Meridian Legal Services a scam or clone?
Meridian Legal Services is a genuine FCA-listed firm, and the FCA has published no warnings about fake versions of it. Scammers do copy real firms, though, so check that any contact details you were given match the ones on the register.
Is my money safe with Meridian Legal Services?
Its FCA permissions do not allow it to hold or control client money. Protection depends on which product you hold and how Meridian Legal Services handles your money, so check the specific product before you commit. You can also refer complaints about Meridian Legal Services to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge.
Who owns Meridian Legal Services?
Companies House lists 2 people with significant control of Meridian Legal Services: Mr Gary Wayne Smith (25–50% of shares) and Mrs Karen Ann Hasker-Smith (25–50% of shares). Before that, it was controlled by Mrs Karen Ann Hasker-Smtih and Mr Dominic O'Reilly.
Who runs Meridian Legal Services?
Companies House lists 3 directors of Meridian Legal Services: Karen Ann Hasker-Smith, Gary Wayne Smith and Helena Jayne Beare.
How long has Meridian Legal Services been in business?
The company was formed on 14 November 2014, and has held its current FCA authorisation since February 2020.
What do Meridian Legal Services’ latest accounts show?
Its latest accounts, to 30 November 2025, show net assets of £231k (<1% from £233k) and cash at bank of £144k (+21% from £119k).
Does Meridian Legal Services use any other names?
It trades as Ember Claims, IDS, Lip Service, Praetorian Legal and Protect My Build. It has previously used the name Praetorian Legal Limited.

Sources and links

The full report on Meridian Legal Services Limited

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