Law firm at centre of £39.5million fraud probe with tens of thousands of potential victims

Law firm at centre of £39.5million fraud probe with tens of thousands of potential victimsSheffield-based PM Law Ltd shut without warning in February leaving thousands of potential victims including a young mum who says she lost nearly £100,000 cash from the sale of her homeNewsTom Pettifor Crime Editor16:37, 21 Apr 2026View 4 ImagesAmy-Jade Hughes said she was left in £100,000 debtA law firm is being investigated over a £39.5 million suspected fraud involving tens of thousands of potential victims, a regulator has said.‌Sheffield-based PM Law Ltd, which had 25 offices around the country, is being proved over a "sophisticated suspected fraud" and includes "improper removal and misuse" of millions of pounds of client funds.‌Former customers have said they had been in the middle of buying or selling a home when their money vanished, leaving them with the risk of collapsed moves, or losing their deposits due to the firm's sudden closure.‌Offices in Yorkshire, Cumbria, Berkshire, Derbyshire and London, suddenly shut on 2 February, leaving hundreds of people out of work and tens of thousands of cases affected.View 4 ImagesPM Law employed hundreds of staffREAD MORE: Shockingly young average age of knife attack victims revealed for first timeREAD MORE: Police probe Iranian backed 'thugs for hire' as two teens arrested over synagogue arsonThe Solicitors Regulation Authority, which intervened after the closure, said on Tuesday that it estimated more than £21m of claims had been made to its compensation fund so far.‌Mum-of-two Amy-Jade Hughes told the BBC that she was weeks away from starting a new life in Australia when the firm collapsed. Amy, 27, had been in the process of selling her home in Worksop in order to emigrate with her partner and children. Despite the sale of her home having been legally completed and the purchase money received, she claims PM Law had not paid off her mortgage.Amy said she had since been told by her bank that...