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March of the big brand

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24 June 2011 / Dr Jon Robins
Issue: 7471 / Categories: Opinion , Legal services , Profession
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In his final article on deregulation, Jon Robins focuses on enterprising entrants to the legal services market

When Theo Paphitis and Deborah Meaden turn their attentions to the dusty world of legal services, it’s probably worth checking out. Smarta.com, founded by the social media entrepreneur Sháá Wasmund with the support of the two Dragons, last month announced that they were to partner with RBS and Natwest to launch a legal service aimed at small and medium-sized businesses under its “Smarta Business Builder” banner. “I’m not just proud to recommend Smarta Business Builder, I’m suggesting that all small businesses use it too,” enthused Theo on the press release.

Making legal services affordable to cash-strapped start-up businesses is a compelling prospect. RBS also runs Mentor, a regulatory compliance service for 14,000 businesses, and RiskRemedy, an online self-service employment law and health and safety compliance package also aimed at the SME market.

Opportunity knocks

John Muncey, head of Mentor, sees deregulation of legal services as a “huge opportunity” for RBS and reckons

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