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14 April 2011 / Dr Jon Robins
Issue: 7461 + 7462 / Categories: Opinion
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March of the big brand

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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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