A pilot national advertising campaign to promote the value of solicitors was launched by the Law Society this week at a cost of around £30,000.

The poster campaign, which features the slogan 'my hero, my solicitor', highlights the circumstances in which members of the public can use solicitors and encourages them to make use of the Law Society's Web site to choose a legal adviser.


The posters will appear in railway stations in Newcastle, York and Leamington over the next five weeks, as well as Euston and London Bridge Tube stations. The Society will monitor the number of additional hits registered on its Web site and may ask the council to vote on an extension of the campaign in 2005, depending on its success.


The posters depict individuals describing how they received help from solicitors in gaining contact with children, combating sexual discrimination in the workplace, avoiding eviction and rescuing their business. Some £16,000 was spent on the adverts, including design and artwork, while printing and advertising space came to around £14,000.


In market testing, 73% of people shown the advertisements said they were believable, while 70% said they were helpful in telling people how to find a solicitor.


Law Society chief executive Janet Paraskeva said: 'In a market where legal services are increasingly available from unqualified people, we want to remind the public about the benefits of using a solicitor. All solicitors are highly trained, properly qualified and insured so clients know they are protected if things go wrong.'