Supermarkets Given Green Light To Offer Legal Services

Thu, 06 Oct 2011

Supermarkets, banks and other high street retailers are now able to offer legal services to their customers following a change in law.

Under the new Legal Services Act, non-lawyers can invest in and own legal businesses for the first time, allowing banks and grocery chains to offer the services of a lawyer alongside their usual everyday products.

The Government believes the new rules will offer more choice and better value for the British public.

Justice Minister Jonathan Djanogly said: "This is a landmark day for the UK legal industry. Our legal services are already rated among the best in the world, used by millions of people around the globe as well as in the UK, and these changes will set them up to move to new heights. They will enable firms to set up multi-disciplinary practices and provide opportunities for growth."

Despite frequently being dubbed "Tesco Law", the supermarket giant has insisted it has "no current plans to offer legal services" to its customers.

However, the Co-operative has confirmed it is considering offering such services and is seeking to get the necessary registration as soon as possible.

Jonathan Gulliford, sales and marketing director for the Co-operative Legal Services, said dealing with solicitors was not something most of its customers "want to be doing and on the whole they don't like doing it".

He added that the Co-op plans to tackle the "big issues" that many Britons have with the legal profession.
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