Legal accreditation schemes not primarily marketing tools

Quality marks were primarily aimed at raising professional standards rather than being used as marketing tools, supporters have said in response to findings that only 4 per cent of consumers took notice of legal accreditation schemes.

"Consumer benefit is only one facet," said Jonathan Smithers, the CooperBurnetts' partner behind the Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme. "CQS is also useful for law firms in their dealings with lender panels, who are key partners for us, and to push up standards within the profession."

"If it was a marketing tool, it would be like QS [QualitySolicitors]. We could do a huge brand campaign, which would be costly, but I am not sure it would be effective," he said.

Smithers' comments came in response to survey results published last week by the Consumer Panel which showed that accreditation schemes had played a material part in consumers choosing a lawyer in only 4 per cent of cases.

Asked whether the findings were disappointing, a spokesman for the panel said they should be looked at in the context of the sample surveyed, which was representative of the whole population rather than just individuals seeking legal advice, who represented only a third of the total canvassed.

About 70 per cent of consumers were aware of the existence of quality marks in the general economy, he said, with 17 per cent using them for building services, 28 per cent for electrical goods, and 16 per cent for restaurants.

Smithers said the figure for legal quality schemes were not surprising considering CQS, "the biggest Law Society initiative in recent years", had only been going for two years and was still establishing itself as a brand.

The incoming Law Society deputy vice-president said clients had various reasons for choosing solicitors, with referral fees in particular being a significant driver in conveyancing.

"It could be that the success of CQS is driven by mortgage lenders but we would achieve our objective if they looked at CQS membership as a deciding factor," he said before adding that once the current 350+ pending membership applications have been processed, CQS would break the 3,000 mark.

Gary Rycroft, the solicitor championing the imminent new will-writing quality scheme, agreed, saying that such schemes were initially created to raise standards and differentiate accredited members from unregulated providers.

The vice-chair of the Law Society's private client section said the schemes are developed as a B2B communications tools, although there may be potential to turn them into B2C tools.

The panel findings also revealed that only 1 per cent used legal comparison websites, in contrast with general use of the internet which was high.

The spokesman explained the discrepancy by the difference in structure between general consumer services and law.

"There are 1,000+ law firms, compared with, say, six energy companies for consumers to compare," he said. "It's also difficult to compare without clear prices, and fixed fees are only just starting now. But law firms are getting more switched on than a few years ago, with the emergence of brands, and the conditions are now much better for legal comparison websites to thrive."