Just over seven years ago, 14-year-old Tracey Dashiell received devastating head injuries when her school minibus crashed.

Looking for help, her father, a US serviceman stationed in the UK and a member of the RAC, decided to call the motoring organisation's legal advice line.

What he got was the full support and backing of the group's legal team to pursue his daughter's claim; total customer care in anyone's book.This year, Tracey received a payout of £5.1 million, thought to be the second largest settlement for a head injury in the UK.But just how far does the RAC's 'knights of the road' image go? Does it extend past the men and women on bikes and in vans -- who last year attended 2.7 million breakdowns -- to itsin-house legal team? Judging from the evidence of Ms Dashiell's case, the answer is yes.The discretion to provide legal advice and assistance to people who are prosecuted for driving offences or, as in Mr Dashiell's case when they are just members seeking help, grew from the RAC's culture as a mutual company with its roots as a gentlemen's club.The Royal Automobile Club, as it became known, started in 1897 when Frederick Richard Sims and Charles Harrington Moore set up the Automobile Club of Great Britain with 163 members.

In 1900, the forerunner of the RAC's legal team was set up as the Motor Users Defence Association; it acted to protect the interests of motorists against malicious prosecution, provided paid representation for members who were prosecuted, and promoted the interests of motorists as the law developed.

The RAC gained its present name in 1907 when Edward VII gave the club his blessing and the 'royal' was added.In July last year, the long-standing mutual tradition of the RAC came to an end when it was bought by Lex Service.

The club r emains in Pall Mall in the fashionable heart of London, but its business activities and all-important RAC name and logo passed to new owners.These days, the gentlemen's club image and approach is firmly in the past.

Housed in what is designed to look like a huge glass ship by the side of the M4, the legal team now refers to itself as a 'profit centre' and its aim is to make money.

And it makes a lot of it.Although coy about the the actual figure, accountant Eddie Ryan, director of legal services, says the team is the most profitable section within the RAC per head.The 50-strong team, not all of whose members are legally qualified, makes a large chunk of its profits from selling its legal advice and services to other insurers, such as Norwich Union and Guardian, who offer it as a bolt-on to its motor policies.

At present, the group reinsures legal expenses insurance advice on 1.3 million policies sold to members and through other insurers.For those with an RAC-backed policy, there is access to a post-accident assistance scheme.

Policy holders can call the team's legal advice line to receive help on topics ranging from liability arising out of car accidents and criminal prosecutions to advice on warranties and consumer disputes.

The team will then pursue any uninsured losses including damages for personal injury either in-house or through its panel of 26 law firms (see below).But the team is also constantly looking for new business opportunities, a job that falls in part to Jonathan Gulliford in his role as legal practice manager.

After completing a law degree at Leicester Polytechnic, Bar finals at the Central London Bar School and a masters degree in legal studies just down the road at Bristol University, Mr Gulliford joined the RAC on a temporary contract in 1994.He says the team is gearing up to launch its next product, an after-the-event insurance package.

He says the product is fully developed and will be marketed now that insurance premiums and success fees in conditional fee agreements have become recoverable.

The team is also developing a debt recovery service which has grown out of the RAC's own internal debt audit.

Once the service has proved itself within the RAC, the team is considering marketing within the Lex Group and more widely.Working alongside Mr Gulliford are two other non-practising lawyers who make up part of the second-tier of managers and product developers.Mark Hodges, who is now the group's operations manager, completed a law degree at the Polytechnic of Central London and Bar finals in London before joining the team also on a temporary contract in 1993.

As well as being there to answer legal queries, Mr Hodges oversees the day-to-day work of the groups claims handlers and legal advisors.Andy Lyalle, who completed a law degree at Cardiff and legal practice course at Chester, now acts as the link between the group and its panel of law firms as the team's outside solicitor network manager.Despite the inevitable upheaval when Lex took over, it looks as if the group's panel of firms -- which deals with around 60,000 road traffic claims a year on behalf of the RAC -- is secure.

Mr Gulliford says the panel has proved 'robust and effective', adding: 'We have a long-standing relationship with our panel who fit with our ethos of customer service provision and with the standards of integrity we set for our brand.' He says there are no plans to contract the panel as the geographical spread of firms is important to allow customers to see their legal advisers.Mr Hodges says all three lawyers have now made the culture change from a straight legal career to being legal managers.

'A legal qualification prepares you for a legal life.

Here you are giving legal advice on a daily basis to start with but that gives way to a more managerial role as your career develops, he says.Many of the group's recruits these days are drawn directly from universities at the end of law degrees or legal professional courses.

All claims handlers are either already legally or insurance industry-qualified or working towards such qualification.

Legal advisers, who staff the telephone advice line and respond to written requests for legal advice, are taken on at post-Bar vocational course or legal practice course stage.This year, Philip Bradley will become the first trainee solicitor to qualify with the team with the help of Manchester firm Pannone & Partners, which filled in the gaps of necessary experience under existing training requirements.

Mark Hodges says the group tries hard to create a career programme for those who join the team.Despite its profit-centre approach to law, Mr Gulliford says members are still welcome to call the legal advice line for help, although some will inevitably be disappointed.The lawyers' discretion for paid representation did not extend quite as far as the lorry driver who was prosecuted for driving without proper control when he put his leg out of the cab to cure his cramp.And then there was the caller who asked for help with his divorce case.

What if it was adultery? he asked plaintively when they politely refused to help.

Still no luck.

And what if it happened in the back of the member's car? Sadly, the RAC still refused to take on the case.THE RAC's LEGAL WORK-- Budget: The RAC's legal department spends around £350,000 a year on irrecoverable costs arising out of uninsured loss recovery and on personal injury work arising out of road traffic accidents.

The budget for criminal prosecutions is approximately £100,000 per year.

There is no figure available for the team's commercial budget.-- Law firms regularly used for commercial work: Loosemores and Slaughter and May -- corporate and commercial; Manches & Co -- intellectual property; Titmuss Sainer Dechert -- employment; Davies Arnold Cooper -- insurance.

However, Berwin Leighton has previously been heavily used by new owners Lex Service for commercial work.-- Law firms regularly used for costs recovery and personal injury work arising out of road traffic accidents: Peter Rickson & Partners (Birmingham); Clarke Willmott & Clarke (Bristol); C & H Jefferson (Belfast); Dakers Seymour & Co (Brighton); Loosemores (Cardiff); Attwater & Liell (Harlow); Lupton Fawcett (Leeds); Hendersons (Liverpool); Fairbairn Morris and Websters (London); Bois & Bois (Jersey); Ozannes (Guernsey); Grant Dewar (Glasgow); Veitch Penny (Exeter); Pannone & Partners (Manchester); Ward Hadaway (Newcastle-upon-Tyne); Actons (Nottingham); Hansell Stevenson (Norwich); Clarkson Wright & Jakes (Orpington); Marshall & Galpin (Oxford); Blake Lapthorn (Portsmouth); Robert Gray & Co (Redhill); Harris & Cartwright (Slough); McKeowns (St.

Albans); Colemans (Walsall); and Henderson Boyd Jackson (Edinburgh).