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Selling out?

18 September 2014 / Dr Jon Robins
Issue: 7622 / Categories: Opinion , Legal services , Profession
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Jon Robins raises a question over the Law Society’s latest advertising campaign

“Use a Professional. Use a Solicitor”. As far as campaign slogans, it is unlikely to inspire great passion within the hearts of the great British public. It is a sensible message, certainly not as tacky as Chancery Lane’s 2013 ad campaign (“Don’t get mugged by an insurer—use a solicitor”, attacked by the Association of British Insurers, with reason, as a “gross error of judgment”) or as plain bonkers as the “My Hero, My Solicitor” billboard campaign launched 10 years ago.

Reassurance?

The point of the latest advertising campaign might well be as much to reassure a jaded and sceptical constituency of the profession, High Street solicitors, that their professional body really does care, as opposed to a sincere attempt to shift the public perception of the profession.

At the heart of the campaign is a serious point. It identifies an arguably meaningful difference in the marketplace. “The growth of unregulated and do-it-yourself legal services means consumers are exposed to

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Gilson Gray—Paul Madden

Gilson Gray—Paul Madden

Partner appointed to head international insolvency and dispute resolution for England

Brachers—Gill Turner Tucker

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Kent firm expands regional footprint through strategic acquisition

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan—William Charles

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan—William Charles

Financial disputes and investigations specialist joins as partner in London

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