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The dawn of "Tesco Law"- 06/10/2011
A West Midlands Solicitor has warned of the possible dangers consumers and the public face in light of a change in the law which enables banks and supermarkets to sell consumer legal services in England and Wales for the first time.
Adam Hodson, a personal injury solicitor with FBC Manby Bowdler LLP, stated, " From 6 October 2011, under new trading bodies known as Alternative Business Structures (ABS), lawyers will be able to work in mixed-practices offering financial, legal and other advice, or be based at different kinds of businesses.
"Whilst the theory behind ABS's is sound, there are potential and very real problems with the untested concept, which has only previously been adopted by two states in Australia. The government seems unconcerned that the introduction of ABS's puts at risk the independence of legal advice, via the profit interests of commercial owners."
Despite the title Tesco Law, the supermarket has said it has "no current plans to offer legal services". But other supermarkets such as the Co-operative are among the first stores to confirm their interest in offering a legal business.
"Whilst the opening up of the market has the potential to offer consumers a greater choice of legal service provider, there is a very real danger that the public will receive incorrect or inadequate legal advice or be overcharged for services provided by companies whose primary focus is to generate revenue for themselves, instead of putting the needs of their clients first. Therefore, the public must protect themselves and consider their options carefully to ensure that they receive a quality service from those individuals trained to offer legal services.
"Remember: the cheapest legal advice is often not the best."
Mr Hodson and FBC Manby Bowdler’s team of specialist personal injury solicitors can be contacted on tel. 01902 578000.