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15 September 2011 / Richard Pettet
Issue: 7481 / Categories: Features , Profession , Marketing
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The rules of engagement

Richard Pettet urges lawyers to make the most of social networking opportunities

The revolutionary new way to access legal services!” screamed the cartoon woman fronting the QualitySolicitors/WHSmith advert, an advert not in The Lawyer but on the front page of the Sunday Times. This comes on the back of QualitySolicitors’ prime time ITV campaign with the same cartoon woman floating across England in a balloon, enfranchising well-established local law firms into the QualitySolicitors brand. Earlier this year we had the regional ITV and Sky1 campaigns from legal price comparison website Wigster—more cartoon-based frolics there, too—and Location, Location, Location’s Phil Spencer fronting InDeed’s conveyancing adverts on behalf of the people behind RightMove. Don’t be surprised if there’s a Christmas version with Phil selling us conveyancing gift sets.

All this loud legal marketing is a pre-emptive move by some astute people to get a head start on the Legal Services Act and the introduction of alternative business structures (ABSs) next month. On a less garish note, we also have The Co-op and The AA offering

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Walkers—Muriel Marseille

Walkers—Muriel Marseille

Ashurst's Chief Risk Officer joins Walkers

Excello Law—John Osborne

Excello Law—John Osborne

Northern family lawyer John Osborne joins Excello

mfg Solicitors—Rebecca Rogers, Kennedy Langley & Victoria Griffiths

mfg Solicitors—Rebecca Rogers, Kennedy Langley & Victoria Griffiths

Trio of promotions announced at Kidderminster law firm mfg Solicitors

NEWS
A sole director can conspire with their own company for the purposes of the tort of unlawful means conspiracy, the High Court has ruled in a judgment with potentially wide implications for business disputes
The Court of Appeal has reinforced that domicile depends on intention rather than residence alone, in a significant post-Brexit ruling on cross-border financial remedy claims
The Chancery Division's long history comes to an end this autumn as it is reborn as the Business and Property Division, prompting questions over whether the shake-up is really necessary
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) continues to show that failing to disclose regulatory issues can attract harsher consequences than the original misconduct itself
Rejecting a generous settlement can prove an expensive mistake, as two recent high-profile cases demonstrate
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