Editor's blog | Power failure

Online ‘choice tools’ are a big deal for the Consumer Panel, which sees them as key drivers behind its empowerment agenda. It has been pushing for more information, both about the law and about lawyers, to be easily available online. Its latest moves include recommendations for an NHS Direct for law and the setting up last month of voluntary good-practice standards for legal comparison websites. The rationale is that this should encourage consumers to shop around and allow them to make more informed choices.

So the latest findings in the panel’s annual tracker survey that only 1 per cent of consumers have used legal price comparison websites is a bit of a setback for the consumer watchdog, which has convinced the Legal Services Board to write to frontline regulators urging them to show “leadership and coordination”.

Already initiatives such as the publication by LeO of complaints records should help with raising standards while also acting as choice tools for consumers. The panel’s view is that unless it or the regulators intervene, the dynamics of the market will not change. Which is where they reckon legal comparison websites can help.

One reason for the low take-up so far is that legal comparison websites are still in their infancy. There are very few of them – only two had signed up to the panel’s good practice standard on launch; now five.

Another is that, consumers are becoming more circumspect about the value of comparison websites generally. Doubts over the objectivity of feedback on some sites have dented early trust in their ability to provide reliable information. So consumers are likely to approach legal comparison websites with greater caution.

Then there is the real question of comparing like for like. Comparing on price alone is possible with reasonably standard products – for instance, whether this particular television is cheaper from this retailer. Comparing professional services is different. Just think about something as simple as comparing car insurance deals, which requires looking beyond the headline premium price to be at all meaningful.

So how can you compare legal services online other than simply on price? Some comparison sites use star rating and client feedback, even incorporating LeO’s data and SRA records. It’s a clever use of technology, but it cannot replace trusted friends.

Consumers are shopping around – nearly a quarter, according to the survey. But more importantly, they seem to value other factors when buying legal services: word of mouth – now regarded as so critical in getting business that it has its own acronym: WOM. Reputation, together with location, knowledge and speed of delivery, are all regarded as more important than price, the survey says. And when it comes to actual satisfaction with the service received, this is at its highest when consumers go back to a lawyer they have used before. What law firms do need to keep an eye on however, is that lawyers instructed after an internet search came second in the satisfaction ranking. Comparison websites may not be as powerful as the panel would like, but clients are clearly trusting the web. So you still need to make sure that you have an internet presence of some sort. Having your own website is a good place to start, preferably one that talks your clients’ language.