> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.ipswich.co.uk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Mezzle collapses two years after Gotelee takeover - URL: https://www.ipswich.co.uk/mezzle-collapses-two-years-after-gotelee-takeover/ - Published: 2026-10-27T09:13:27.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-27T09:13:27.000Z - Description: Two years after promising to modernise historic Ipswich firm Gotelee Solicitors, self-styled legal 'disruptor' Mezzle has collapsed into administration – having closed two of Gotelee's offices within a year of taking over. - Author: Oliver Rouane-Williams - Tags: News, Business, Mezzle, Gotelee Solicitors **Why it matters:** Gotelee Solicitors, established in 1880 and serving clients across Suffolk and East Anglia, became part of the Mezzle group in 2024 amid promises of growth and investment. **What's new:** Mezzle Law appointed administrators from FTS Recovery earlier this month, after HM Revenue & Customs brought a winding-up petition against the company in August. Administrators were appointed the day before the petition was due to be heard at the Royal Courts of Justice. The firm has effectively closed, with its website now redirecting visitors to the administrators' page. A skeleton staff and a number of consultant lawyers have been retained to assist an appointed solicitor manager, who is overseeing the orderly work-out of client files while liaising with the Solicitors Regulation Authority. **The Gotelee deal:** Mezzle, which marketed itself as a new kind of City law firm, acquired Gotelee Solicitors on Friday, 1 March 2024\. At the time, Gotelee had around 90 employees across offices in Ipswich, Hadleigh, Felixstowe, Framlingham and Woodbridge. Mezzle co-founder and chief executive Mel Kang said the deal would bring "cutting-edge technology and tech-based solutions" into Gotelee's operations, adding: "Maintaining the firm's rich heritage and values is critical, but we are looking forward to helping the firm in its growth plans for East Anglia and beyond." Gotelee's then managing partner, Andrew West, said the firm was looking forward to "growing and consolidating" its position, stating: "It will be business as usual for our clients and we look forward to welcoming and working alongside new clients in this next phase of our lifecycle." Within a year of the acquisition, Mezzle had closed Gotelee's offices in Hadleigh and Felixstowe. **The bigger picture:** Mezzle was founded by Mel Kang, a former gunnercooke solicitor, and Raj Sumal, formerly of Flint Bishop and DAC Beachcroft. It operated a consultant-based fee-sharing model, allowing lawyers to keep 70% of their fees up to £500,000 and 80% thereafter, supported by its proprietary platform, Mezzle Cloud. By March 2023, the firm had 46 lawyers on its books – 36 in the UK and 10 in the UAE. Kang had said he wanted to change perceptions of consultant-based legal work as "a road to retirement." The firm also took on some of the assets of Silks Law Limited for £25,000 when it went into administration in 2021, bringing 15 of its staff into Mezzle. Kang remains a director of Silks Law. **By the numbers:** Companies House records show Mezzle Limited reported net assets of around £826,000 for the year ended December 2024, including cash reserves of £436,000\. Kang is now the company's sole remaining director; Sumal resigned in December 2024, and chief financial officer Jasbir Gill resigned last month, having joined the board in January 2023. **The bottom line:** Mezzle's collapse marks a dramatic reversal of fortunes for a firm that promised to secure Gotelee's future and modernise one of Suffolk's oldest legal practices. For now, administrators are focused on winding down Mezzle's affairs in an orderly way, while working alongside the Solicitors Regulation Authority. --- **Don't forget:** If you enjoy our content, please [add Ipswich.co.uk as a "preferred source" on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=ipswich.co.uk&ref=ipswich.co.uk) so you can easily find more of the content you value. [Add as a preferred source on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=ipswich.co.uk&ref=ipswich.co.uk) --- ### This article cost us \~£27 to produce It's free for you to read thanks to the generous support of our partners. Please support us by supporting them.