… aren’t worth much it seems.
From the Solicitors Journal 17/10/11:
Brands in the legal services market suffer from poor consumer awareness, with nearly half of consumers relying on personal contacts when choosing a provider, a survey has revealed.
When choosing a law firm, 44 per cent said they would ask friends for a recommendation while a further 16 per cent said they would ask professionals they already knew, such as estate agents or accountants.
The most important factor for consumers when making decisions was whether the firm had been recommended by a friend and the total cost to them. Only 15 per cent regarded a ‘trusted brand name’ as the most important factor.
Most of this isn’t at all surprising. Surely the criteria reflect what every client wants from their solicitor: someone well-recommended, trusted, competent and cheap (preferably charging fixed fees).
Hmm – good luck with that one!
So I’m not at all surprised that so many people choose a lawyer through reputation and word of mouth, but I am slightly surprised that the weight attached to a established and trusted legal firm name was so insignificant.
Heck, maybe there is hope for Quality Solicitors after all then! 
In the legal profession i still think that most work for high street solicitors is done through recommendation, but having worked with firms that have took part in promotion, i think that firms can still attract new range of clients if they can reflect themselves as being a good quality firm.
ReplyDeleteBut talking from vocational experience i agree that firms with fixed rates do tend to have a more consistent stream of clients, e.g. more clients that will actually go through with instructing the solicitor