The changing face of legal services

Managing partner at MTA Solicitors and LawStore project leader David Green, believes that seeking legal advice can sometimes be a daunting prospect and legal services should be made less intimidating and more convenient for everyone.
If we are to believe a recent survey [1] carried out by the Legal Services Research Centre (part of (part of the Legal Services Commission) your everyday consumer does not realise that many of the problems they face are 'legal' and so would not consider approaching a solicitors for help. David Green agrees this is an all too familiar situation for many people but believes that the other reoccurring factor in the reluctance to approach a solicitor is in a reflection of how the legal profession customarily operates.
"Unfortunately the legal profession embodies an often serious and intimidating environment that many people find uncomfortable to be in the presence of. There is also a stigma attached to visiting a solicitor's office and an expectation that we'll be left feeling bamboozled by legal jargon that we don't fully understand along with a hefty price tag at the end of it. It's no wonder that many people avoid picking up the phone to make an appointment with a local solicitor, even when legal advice might be the only answer".
The survey highlighted the obvious confusion for many consumers in the way that they define some predicaments as 'legal' and not others. It also pointed out those respondents would pursue help from the more comprehensive advice sector with the bulk of their problems, signifying the want for good legal advice that is accessible to everyone.
Green continues, "Wondering whether or not you should seek legal advice for a particular problem can often be a daunting prospect and depending on the nature of the situation, might well be frightening or upsetting (particularly in the case of family-related or marital cases); the added stress of speaking to a 'legal professional' in an alien environment doesn't help matters. For many, the issue comes straight down to how much it is going to cost to obtain the advice they need in the first instance - what if they have to pay a hefty sum only to discover they don't have a case anyway?"

What Green ultimately believes is fundamental, is that anyone should have access to legal advice that helps them to establish in the first instance whether their problem is in fact a legal case or not and it is this type of guidance that has been severely deficient in previous years.

"Law firms in general need to understand the apprehension that many people face when seeking legal help. Often the problem can be personal and emotional and in many cases people are worried about looking stupid in front of a professional, there are so many factors to consider. These issues have led to the need for an alternative option for consumers to deal with their legal worries".

Green believes that bringing legal help to the high street in an unconventional but approachable setting is a sound solution. "As legal professionals it should be our job to change the face of legal services and create a friendlier, more informal environment for those that need to obtain legal advice; it should be no different to going to your local high street optician for an eye test".
Using the parallel of the Optician, Green considers the former process for vising your optician, "You would invariably be sitting in a large Victorian building at the back of a high street waiting in turn rather like a visit to the doctor's surgery. Today we can simply visit the optician in most high street stores or shopping centres and choose from a wide range of frames and designs as part of our shopping trip - and we think nothing of it. It makes sense to adopt a similar approach to shopping for legal services and advice and instead bring the solicitor to the everyday shopper who will find the whole experience a lot less daunting than they might have imagined," explains Green.

Advantages of bringing legal advice to a 'shopper-friendly' environment are obvious. Everyone and anyone will be able to obtain greater access to a certain amount of free advice on any legal issue in a calm and informal setting before ascertaining whether or not they have a legal case that can be pursued. For the legal profession, the ambition should be to provide high quality legal services (that you would expect from any good solicitors), make the process as straightforward as possible for the consumer and ultimately make confusing, meaningless legal jargon and unnecessary costs a thing of the past.
The MTA LawStore offers legal advice on anything from Conveyancing, drafting a Will or what to do if you are facing an impending driving prosecution. . A 30-minute free consultation should ascertain the merits or pitfalls of the legal issue and should the matter need to escalate in appointing a solicitor, LawStore offers extremely competitive rates which in most cases are recoverable from the other side.

The MTA LawStore is now open at: LawStore, Unit 81, Regent Arcade, The Glades, Bromley BR1 1DD.
www.thelaw-store.co.uk

Legal Clinics include:

Property Law and Conveyancing
Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence
Commercial / Consumer Law
Wills and Probate
Commercial and Personal Debt Recovery
Employment Law
Driving Law
Family Law