Local Law targets convenience stores

A new kind of law firm franchise, which aims to market solicitors through convenience stores, is to launch next week.

Neil Bromage, media and PR consultant at Xpress Outsourcing Solutions in Blackpool, said Local Law would sign up its first law firm and appoint a 'high profile individual' to its board by the end of next week.

He said the aim was to sign up 50 firms in the first year and said Local Law was talking to a major advertising agency about how they could spend £1m.

Bromage, a former legal executive, said Local Law had been negotiating for 12 months with Premier Stores, which has 2,700 stores in its network, and intended to approach Costcutter and Nisa.

According to Local Law's marketing material, firms will pay an annual subscription of £7,500 plus VAT to join Local Law, or £2,950 plus VAT if they join before April 1 next year.

In addition they will pay a monthly PR and marketing fee of £4,950 plus VAT. The convenience stores involved would earn £1,200 a year.

The marketing fee would cover marketing in local convenience stores, a PR and marketing plan and review, press coverage and referrals from a group website.

Scott Else, marketing manager at Local Law, said the retailers the new franchise would target would be very different from the WHSmith stores targeted by QualitySolicitors.

'We feel that the ABC demographic is much more likely to have a relationship with the professionals they need and so we have chosen to partner with convenience store brands where the demographic is lower and a better match, in particular, with personal injury.'

Else went on: 'We will develop a whole programme of activity which is designed to raise the profile of the law firm in their locality '“ we'll develop relationships with local media and community groups, organise advice clinics as well as all the usual advertising and marketing.

'And all of this activity will be done in the name of the firm so that with Local Law being promoted in retailers, online, on radio and TV and the law firm being promoted locally the combination will ensure a powerful blend of high-profile raising activity.'