Accident Direct announces tie-up with 13 law firms

Accident Direct announces tie-up with 13 law firms

Accident Direct, the on-line accident referral service launched in January, announced last week that 13 law firms had signed up with its site.

The firms are Loosemores (Cardiff), Oldhams (Stevenage), Moore & Blatch (Southampton), Bell Pope (Southampton), Horwich Farrelley (Manchester), Crosse & Crosse (Exeter), Proddow Mackay (Maidenhead and Sheffield), Gaynor Smith Owen (Hereford and Worcester), Laverys (Preston and Blackpool), Henmans (Oxford), Hart Lloyd (Weston-Super-Mare), Hudgell & Partners (London) and Penningtons (Godalming and Basingstoke).The site functions as a marketing portal.

It connects potential claimants, via Web links, with personal injury firms by postcode area where possible.

Advertising charges have been revised since the site's launch: the tariff structure now starts at 495 a year, rising to 1,485 for firms which want exclusive coverage for their postcode area.Accident Direct's co-creator, Larry Rawlinson, said his site aimed to be a recognisable brand with 'across the board appeal' to potential clients, It is receiving about 5,000 hits a month, he added, and 'a number of other firms' are showing interest in signing up.Meanwhile, another online personal injury solicitor database - www.accidentcompensation.com -- has announced a deal with an Australian counterpart (www.accidentcompensationadvice.co.au) to share resources over the Internet.

The owner of the UK business, Adrian Miles, said: 'This sort of trans-world arrangement is becoming more and more important as the Web shrinks our planet.

Our site works in a similar way to the Australian counterpart, but we feel there is a chance we can help them with our expertise on building on-line networks of experts.'

Rowland Byass