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15 November 2009
Issue: 7393 / Categories: Legal News
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Branding legal services

Consumers of legal services prefer well-known brand names, such as banks and retailers, yet six out of 10 cannot name a single law firm.

Consumers of legal services prefer well-known brand names, such as banks and retailers, yet six out of 10 cannot name a single law firm.

Magic circle and large national or regional law practices are the best known among consumers, according to a survey of more than 2,000 people published this week by the national network of law firms, the Legal Alliance.
More than half of participants said they would go to a well known brand for legal services.

On the plus side for law firms, some 88% of those surveyed said the ability to access legal services locally was important. Roughly the same number said they would be less likely to use a remote or call centre based legal service.

Jon Bostock, chief executive of the Legal Alliance, says: “Consumers will access legal services through brands in the future, as is the case in most other markets, but that’s not to say solicitors are redundant in the current climate.

“Within the first month since launching our first brand partnerships we are already generating hundreds of legal work opportunities and more will follow as more brand partners continue to join us. Brands represent the future of the legal service market and distributors must recognise the benefits of a changing landscape.”

Nick Jervis, director of legal marketing firm, Samson Consulting, says: “It is important for firms to keep up contact with past clients and, with all the software available these days, there is no excuse for not doing so.”
 

Issue: 7393 / Categories: Legal News
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Cripps—Radius Law

Cripps—Radius Law

Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

Switalskis—Grimsby

Switalskis—Grimsby

Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

NEWS
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
Recent allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have reignited scrutiny of the ancient common law offence of misconduct in public office. Writing in NLJ this week, Simon Parsons, teaching fellow at Bath Spa University, asks whether their conduct could clear a notoriously high legal hurdle
A landmark ruling has reshaped child clinical negligence claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Jodi Newton, head of birth and paediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, explains how the Supreme Court in CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5 has overturned Croke v Wiseman, ending the long-standing bar on children recovering ‘lost years’ earnings
A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
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