Detail is starting to emerge about the proposed scale of some of
the new legal services businesses being establish in the wake of the Legal
Services Act, and it seems that at least one of them, The Co-operative Group,
is not so much dipping its toe in, as plunging head-first into the market with
a gusto which may take some of its more traditional rivals by surprise.
When The Co-operative Legal Services (CLS) was one of the first
three alternative business structures to be approved in March, it was said that
it planned to recruit 150 members of staff in addition to the 450 staff it
already had operating from its Bristol base.
However, CLS has now announced that it in fact intends to offer 3,000
new jobs in its legal services arm, 90% of which will be legal roles, creating
what it claims will be "the largest
consumer law business in the country" – a lofty ambition indeed.
The recruitment drive will be spread across Bristol and five new
regional hubs across England and Wales to be created, as well as a new
London-based family law operation. Chief
executive, Peter Marks, has confirmed that it is CLS's intention to use its
existing 330 high street businesses as outlets for its legal services, after a
successful pilot in 30 bank branches and that he believes that the plans will
offer particular opportunities for younger lawyers and aspiring-lawyers.
CLS will offer a range of consumer focused services
including family law, wills and probate, conveyancing, personal injury claims,
and employment law advice - via telephone, internet or face-to face.
CLS’s pioneering approach to the
provision of legal services has already been recognised through one of the
industry's top awards for innovation. The
Legal Industry Pioneer Award, given to the organisation which has taken the
boldest steps in pursuing alternative business models or new ways of delivering
legal services, was awarded to CLS at the prestigious Financial Times
Innovative Lawyers 2011 awards.
The Co-op has been involved in a
variety of professional services markets for many years, including banking,
insurance, funerals and pharmacy services, which may explain why it is prepared
to be bold in its latest moves into the legal sector. Peter Marks said “We already have a first class reputation for delivering professional
services.....We see the law as yet another area where a Co-operative solution
can be successfully applied for the customer’s benefit. Over the next five
years we want to fundamentally change the face of legal services and make
access far easier - today’s announcement underlines that ambition.”
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