Marketing Challenges in the Legal Sector UK June 2013

Marketing Challenges in the Legal Sector UK June 2013

Challenge 1# Low Usage! Use of lawyers and solicitors is typically occasional and is often a distress purchase, for example after an accident, during a divorce or family bereavement or because of an unexpected problem. Some 28% of consumers have used a law firm or solicitor in the last three years, with this percentage rising to over a third of those in the ABC1 social grades. Only a quarter of C2DEs have made use of legal advice in the last three years.! Use of legal services generally increases with age, particularly for core legal services such as wills and probate and family law issues. This is also true for legal advice for high-income individuals.! There is relatively little use of law firms and solicitors amongst 16-24 year olds although young male adults are a key client group for personal injury and accident lawyers. For example a large percentage of road accidents (which represent the largest group of personal injury cases) involve young male drivers. Usage of Law Firms by Demographics

Challenge 2# WOM Most Important! With most consumers looking for legal advice fairly infrequently, and with limited knowledge of the quality of services on offer, it is perhaps no surprise that people turn mainly to friends, relatives and work colleagues for recommendations.! In addition, the percentage opting for this approach is growing. In the 2011 survey, 40% turned to recommendations to help them find a legal representative but by 2013 this had increased to 50%.! No other specific method of finding legal advice is used by such a significant number of consumers. The next most important is using an internet search engine. Use of search engines rises to 25% for younger adults (16-24 year olds) that have used a solicitor/law firm in last three years.! Other web-based sources such as law firm review sites, price comparison sites and web directories are minority choices. However, many of these options have seen use increase, a trend likely to! continue over the next few years. One traditional source of local law firm details has been local classified directories, however, in 2013 (and 2011) only 5% of users consulted these directories when choosing.

Challenge 3# Few Satisfied Customers! Consumers who had used a solicitor in the last three years were asked to comment on their satisfaction with various aspects of the service offered. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being least satisfied and 5 being most satisfied, how would you rate your experience with the following aspects of the service offered?! While the overwhelming majority were satisfied or most satisfied (i.e. scoring 4 or 5) with the service they received across all criteria, satisfaction levels have fallen since 2011. At a time when traditional suppliers are facing strong competition from new legal services providers, this could be of some concern.

Challenge 4# Uncertain Consumers! Changes to the legal market mean that new suppliers of legal advice and services are now joining existing solicitors and law firms. How likely would you be to use any of the following types of companies for legal services if they offered legal services (tick as many as apply) for the following?! These new entrants have work to do to persuade consumers to look beyond traditional law firms. For all of the specific legal services considered conveyancing, making a will, a personal injury case and an employment law issue the majority would be likely to continue to use law firms and solicitors rather than new suppliers.

Challenge 4# Uncertain Consumers! Conveyancing interest in legal services from building societies/estate agents When buying or selling a residential property, 74% would still be very likely or likely to use a law firm or solicitor, slightly down on 79% in the previous survey.! In the 2011 survey, a noticeable minority 35% said they could be interested in using a building society for legal services and this is still the second most popular choice (at 33% in 2013). Estate agents are mentioned as a possibility by 32%, the same percentage that did so in the 2011 survey.! Nothing much has changed as far as other sources of legal advice are concerned there is little enthusiasm for using other possible routes to legal services for conveyancing with a significant majority stating that they would be very unlikely or unlikely to use supermarkets, high street brands, motoring organisations or claims companies.

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