![David Lester (senior partner at Blythe Liggins), Darryl Barnes, Jagdeep Sandher (head of dispute resolution at Blythe Liggins)[4]](https://d1d8vslyhr7rdg.cloudfront.net/Pictures/274x183/4/2/8/116428_davidlesterseniorpartneratblytheligginsdarrylbarnesjagdeepsandherheadofdisputeresolutionatblytheliggins4_981603_crop.jpg)
Alastair Moyes
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Three rings or you’re out?
Promising levels of service seems an easy thing to do. The Co-operative announced that a caller 'will receive a response from a trained lawyer within three rings'. QualitySolicitors promised a number of things including direct lawyer contact, first consultation free, no hidden costs, same-day response and Saturday office opening.
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Challenging the speed of change
A challenge has been laid down for solicitors firms. Ajaz Ahmed, co-founder of the award-winning Legal365, outlined what he believes firms need to do to compete in the changing legal services market. Speaking at the recent LawTech Camp London he urged: 'Reduce complexity; don’t sell law - sell solutions to ...
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Is it different this time?
Two things have occurred that need your attention. The first alternative business structure (ABS) firms have been announced and QualitySolicitors’ new TV promotional campaign has started. I’m sure there will be a fierce debate about the pros and cons of QS' approach to promoting legal services; however given the Co-operative ...
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What you can’t see will hurt you
Here’s the problem, there’s a nagging uncertainty about ‘high street’ solicitors' firms. There is a lot going on but you haven’t quite seen a specific challenge or threat to your firm. Whatever the threats are, you can’t quite clarify the problem in terms of how you run your firm because ...
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Management priorities
As we look forward to 2012 and the challenges that solicitors’ firms face I would suggest they need to think carefully about their management priorities for the coming year. Direct competition for the domestic, small business and corporate client groups will become more visible as new businesses (alternative business structures ...
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Pinch point
The stark comparison between new legal service providers and traditional firms’ approach to clients’ contact shows a way forward for all firms. In many solicitors offices there is a pinch point that restricts the ability of a firm to grow, the traditional solicitors’ receptionist and switchboard operator.
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Quality, quantity or both?
With the announcement of another new legal services brand, ‘Simplify the Law’, firms are being presented with an increasing complex choice of partner organisations. Solicitors’ enquiry services can be a useful additional source of business, however firms need to correctly manage these services, choose them carefully and avoid a couple ...
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Brands and the market share land grab
As the holiday season comes to an end and we face the autumn of change in the legal services market it is worth having a brief review of the announcements that will affect how you plan your firm’s marketing.
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Quality solicitors for all
Having followed the QualitySolicitors debate in the Gazette you may feel we have been in a type of ‘phoney war’ for the past couple of years. Now the battle for the domestic and SME legal services sectors has started with the launch of QS’s Legal Access Points in WHSmiths around ...
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What you don’t know about your clients
The Legal Services Board’s independent consumer panel has produced some good research in their recently published Tracker Survey 2011.
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Branding with hot irons?
‘Brand’ is a widely used description that covers many things in a lot of marketing areas and means many things to many people.
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Tools or techniques?
When presented with the ‘next big thing’ in legal services marketing there is a good question to ask at the outset that will help you gain the best for your firm.
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Where IT systems are failing
It’s the Legal IT exhibition this week so I write this with some trepidation as I’m about to make a general criticism of a significant area of solicitors business practise.
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Consumer research: will it tell you all?
Recent consumer and market research, with the debates they foster, reminded me to be careful when looking at and using research findings. There are two quotes that are worth keeping in mind when looking at research data and reports; both are currently relevant to the legal services market.
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My predictions for 2011
This time last year I wrote a blog for the Gazette that predicted a major change in 2010. I suggested that solicitors firms and new legal service providers would be divided into two broad groups – those that used web-based systems to deliver services to clients and those that didn’t. ...
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Which PEST is bothering your firm?
It will be 2011 in a few weeks and whenever your year-end is, planning for the coming year raises some interesting questions. What factors will affect the business planning for your firm? Here’s a standard business analysis tool that seems very relevant to solicitors firms since there seems to be ...
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Client capture – learning from newer entrants
I can imagine the growing volume of conversations across the country as people meet and chat about families and life in general.
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Trust in marketing management
The semantic debate over the words 'client' or 'customer' that divides the new legal service providers from solicitors only obscures the issues around the future of legal services. The people and businesses that seek legal help might as easily be described as 'service users' or 'punters'. What’s important is to ...
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Political Risk?
Kenneth Clarke’s speech to the Birmingham Law Society and Lord Young’s pronouncements at the weekend remind me that the political risk issues I learnt about at business school are alive, well and threatening further disruption.
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Political risk?
Kenneth Clarke’s speech to the Birmingham Law Society and Lord Young’s pronouncements at the weekend remind me that the political risk issues I learnt about at business school are alive, well and threatening further disruption.