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11 March 2011 / Dr Jon Robins
Issue: 7456 / Categories: Opinion , Legal services , Marketing
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Too little too late?

The holy grail of the post-Legal Services Act world appears to be the creation of a solicitor-led legal brand instantly recognisable by the public...

Are law firms too late to build the solicitor brand? asks Jon Robins

The holy grail of the post-Legal Services Act world appears to be the creation of a solicitor-led legal brand instantly recognisable by the public and which will see off competition from all those household names—Co-Op, Halifax,
Which? et al—heading their way.

National branding

The speed at which firms appear to be signing up to the QualitySolicitors scheme—100 new branches opened last week—suggests a somewhat late-in-the-day conversion on the part of the profession to the belief that salvation does indeed lie in the power of collective marketing schemes. Either that or it suggests the beginnings of mass panic ahead of the 6 October start date for alternative business structures (ABSs).

Another attempt to create a national legal brand called Face 2 Face Solicitors was launched earlier this month. It claims to be “the first solicitors’

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire

EIP—Rob Barker

EIP—Rob Barker

IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist

NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
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
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