Jeremy Hill reviews the new “eBay for lawyers”
With referral fees set to be banned in personal injury (PI) cases, some law firms operating in this field are currently faced with a crisis in confidence in the viability of their own business models. If the ban becomes law as expected in April 2013, PI firms are faced not only with the spectre of having no access to the bulk referral lists they had previously purchased from claims managers, but also the advent of a liberalised legal services market that will sees brands such as The Co-operative and QualitySolicitors hoover up market share in the sector.
The choice is yours
The existing law firms have a choice: they either get picked up on the cheap by claims managers and brokers looking to build integrated claims management businesses, or they pay extortionate annual fees to join with a high-street brand in the hope they can continue to survive. Either way, the referral system as they currently experience it is lost to them forever.
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