Rowlands sports PI radio plug

Manchester law firm Rowlands is taking advantage of the recent bad press received by accident intermediaries by broadcasting a series of radio advertisements promoting its own personal injury department.

The firm this week launched the first of a number of commercials featuring BBC radio sports presenter Alan Green, to run initially for three months on local station Key 103.

The adverts follow a sporting theme, with Mr Green portraying the firm as 'your number one supporter'.

Malcolm Horner, partner and head of personal injury at Rowlands, said: 'We got tired of claims companies charging a fortune for giving us sometimes dubious leads for work, so we decided to try and generate our own business.

Claims farmers have nicked a lot of work from good law firms like ourselves, but now they have been exposed for over-charging we can promote the idea of going directly to law firms.'

Mr Horner said he has recently been instructed to sue the now defunct Claims Direct, which he said he was 'more than happy to do, as they have been a big opponent of ours'.

Rowlands marketing manager Mark Martin said: 'This is a really good time for personal injury law firms to promote themselves following the bad press received by claims farmers and the gap in the market this has left.

We chose the sporting theme for the adverts because we have just had the Commonwealth Games in Manchester and the football season has just started with both our local teams in the Premiership.'

The firm has set up a dedicated telephone line to keep track of the public response to the adverts, which will be assessed after three months.

Andrew Towler