Membership of a respected profession once conferred a much greater equivalence of proficiency and status than it does today. Consider the almost comical horror with which many lawyers formerly greeted the notion that solicitors should be allowed to differentiate themselves...

Membership of a respected profession once conferred a much greater equivalence of proficiency and status than it does today. Consider the almost comical horror with which many lawyers formerly greeted the notion that solicitors should be allowed to differentiate themselves from their peers by advertising (see Obiter). Not only was this considered ‘bad form’, to some it was positively subversive; the hallmark of a ‘vulgar trade’.

These days even top barristers’ chambers post slick marketing videos on their corporate websites. Yet traces of such thinking still linger. For example, Gazette Online’s messageboards show that not all are comfortable with the entrepreneurial efforts of newly coined legal ‘brands’ to carve out distinctive franchises in advance of next year’s introduction of alternative business structures. Is it no longer enough to be a practising solicitor, with all the learning and application that this implies?

It is natural for solicitors to be uncomfortable about the pace of change – yet also inevitable that proactive firms will seek to exploit innovative means of enhancing their market position.

The same trend is manifest in a growing appetite for – and the expansion of – accreditation and quality assurance. Last week saw the launch of a Law Society quality mark for conveyancers; this week saw the first international Lexcel accreditation. We are going to see more innovation in this vein.