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March of the big brand

14 April 2011 / Dr Jon Robins
Issue: 7461 + 7462 / Categories: Opinion
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Lawyers talk about “Tesco Law” and the ongoing liberalisation of legal services...

Jon Robins offers some predictions on how deregulation will affect the legal services market

Lawyers talk about “Tesco Law” and the ongoing liberalisation of legal services, as though the 6 October start date for alternative business structures (ABSs)will mark a latter day “gold rush” led by big name supermarkets and banks. But what do the consumers want? Do they really want to buy their legal services through Virgin, the Co-Op or—for that matter—KwikFit? It’s a blindingly obvious question but one that is all too infrequently raised.

Recent research from the pollster YouGov reveals that, yes, around six out of 10 (60%) of adults are interested in receiving legal advice from well-known brands. The most popular being Barclays (19% would consider them), followed by the Co-Op and AA  (18%). Tesco who has lent its name to the movement (but shown little interest in it) also scored highly (16%) as did Virgin (15%). Not everyone was a winner though. Apparently,

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan—Andrew Savage

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan—Andrew Savage

Firm expands London disputes practice with senior partner hire

Druces—Lisa Cardy

Druces—Lisa Cardy

Senior associate promotion strengthens real estate offering

Charles Russell Speechlys—Robert Lundie Smith

Charles Russell Speechlys—Robert Lundie Smith

Leading patent litigator joins intellectual property team

NEWS
The government’s plan to introduce a Single Professional Services Supervisor could erode vital legal-sector expertise, warns Mark Evans, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, in NLJ this week
Writing in NLJ this week, Jonathan Fisher KC of Red Lion Chambers argues that the ‘failure to prevent’ model of corporate criminal responsibility—covering bribery, tax evasion, and fraud—should be embraced, not resisted
Professor Graham Zellick KC argues in NLJ this week that, despite Buckingham Palace’s statement stripping Andrew Mountbatten Windsor of his styles, titles and honours, he remains legally a duke
Writing in NLJ this week, Sophie Ashcroft and Miranda Joseph of Stevens & Bolton dissect the Privy Council’s landmark ruling in Jardine Strategic Ltd v Oasis Investments II Master Fund Ltd (No 2), which abolishes the long-standing 'shareholder rule'
In NLJ this week, Sailesh Mehta and Theo Burges of Red Lion Chambers examine the government’s first-ever 'Afghan leak' super-injunction—used to block reporting of data exposing Afghans who aided UK forces and over 100 British officials. Unlike celebrity privacy cases, this injunction centred on national security. Its use, the authors argue, signals the rise of a vast new body of national security law spanning civil, criminal, and media domains
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