Co-op launches media ad campaign

Co-operative Legal Services (CLS), which is introducing “unbundling” for its family law services, has launched a major TV, radio and mass media advertising campaign.

The adverts play on the way many consumers feel baffled by legal jargon and intimidated by solicitors. They are to be broadcast on stations across London as well as nationally on Sky and satellite channels as part of a wider campaign that includes social media, press adverts and PR.

The Co-op has also launched a YouTube channel, The Practice, with 17 videos offering practical legal advice on issues such as divorce and separation.

The firm is also considering how to introduce “unbundling”—providing legal services on a partial retainer, where the client chooses which elements to purchase.

Christina Blacklaws, CLS director of policy, said: “In light of the impact of the civil legal aid changes, [the Co-op] is set to expand its current range of fixed and transparently-priced family law services to include an additional range of unbundled legal services.”

David Greene, NLJ consultant editor and partner at Edwin Coe, said: “There is nothing new in unbundling. A fancy name given to a way of delivering service to cash strapped clients that many solicitors have practised for years. In litigation, for instance, it is by no means uncommon that solicitors may allow the client to remain on the record but assist with pleadings, disclosure and trial preparation on set fees.

"We are likely to see much more of this with an increase in the small claims limit. Similarly fixed fees for certain stages of the litigation process are increasingly common. The modern market in legal services demands providers be transparent and flexible.”

Last month, the Law Society published a Practice Note on unbundling, noting that it can operate on different levels such as providing clients with self-help packs, providing discrete advice or checking documents.

In March, Yorkshire firm Oxley & Coward launched a “pay as you go” family law service. Clients take on some of the tasks normally undertaken by the solicitor, such as dealing with documents and administration, and only pay for advice when needed.