Liberty Blume has completed the acquisition of Rutland-based land rights specialist Connections Legal Management (CLM), in a deal that keeps the company’s local team intact while expanding Liberty Blume’s infrastructure services beyond telecoms.
What the acquisition covers
The purchase brings CLM’s 22 specialists and their portfolio of more than 90 clients under the Liberty Blume umbrella. CLM carries out work for a range of infrastructure clients, including UK Power Distribution, JSM Group and GRIDSERVE, and those relationships will continue with the added access to Liberty Blume’s technology capabilities.
- Local employment: the CLM team in Rutland will be retained.
- Service expansion: Liberty Blume plans to broaden into utilities, renewable energy and construction.
- Client continuity: existing CLM clients will have access to Liberty Blume technology services.
Strategic context
Liberty Blume says the combination of its telecoms and AI-enabled technology expertise with CLM’s experience in electricity and renewables will better support firms such as solar and wind developers, grid-connection providers and infrastructure delivery partners. The acquiring company has framed the move as part of a wider growth strategy, which it says aims to reach a valuation in excess of $1bn by 2028.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| CLM team size | 22 |
| Clients served | 90+ |
| Target valuation | $1bn+ by 2028 (Liberty Blume aim) |
Comments from leadership
"The UK is set for a huge upgrade of its public and private infrastructure. This deal brings together the market leaders in telecoms, energy and water infrastructure services and ideally places Liberty Blume to support this rapid transformation of the UK."
That comment from Liberty Blume chief executive Ian Larkin frames the acquisition as timely, given the company’s stated focus on large-scale infrastructure work. CLM’s founder and director also welcomed the deal, saying it will enable the firm to offer an end-to-end services proposition and expand capabilities for clients.
Local significance
For Rutland, the deal preserves a specialist local employer and keeps technical expertise based in the county. CLM’s retained staff will continue to deliver land-rights services to existing clients, while the new ownership may introduce larger-scale technology and contractual resources to local operations.
Residents and local businesses with interests in land rights, renewable projects or infrastructure delivery may see practical effects if Liberty Blume expands CLM’s work locally or bids for more regional contracts. For now, the transaction secures continuity of CLM’s local presence while signalling a strategic shift by its new owner into a broader infrastructure market.
