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Bridging the gap

15 January 2016 / Mark Burns
Issue: 7682 / Categories: Features , Profession
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By offering increased transparency in costs & services, comparison sites can benefit firms & potential clients, as Mark Burns explains

There can’t have been many of us that were surprised by the findings of a recent survey by Citizens Advice which claimed that almost 70% of respondents said they couldn’t afford legal services (see Responsive justice: How citizens experience the justice system, November 2015). The survey responses also highlighted the need for more transparency in a profession which has long been surrounded in mystery. The real question relating to the cost of legal advice has to be around whether clients can see value in the service that they receive and if that service meets their needs. What service does a client actually need, what do they want it to include and how much does that service cost?

Price is a complex area—particularly when it comes to procuring legal services where buying decisions should not be made by creating a race to the bottom—but instead, the profession has to take steps to bring client and lawyer

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

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Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
The Court of Protection has ruled in Macpherson v Sunderland City Council that capacity must be presumed unless clearly rebutted. In this week's NLJ, Sam Karim KC and Sophie Hurst of Kings Chambers dissect the judgment and set out practical guidance for advisers faced with issues relating to retrospective capacity and/or assessments without an examination
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
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