'Not enough' shopping around, consumer panel says

'Not enough' clients are shopping around for legal services and it is too difficult for them to choose the right solicitor, the consumer panel has said.

Shopping around increased from 19 to 22 per cent last year but this year has failed to increase at all, the latest report for the panel by YouGov has shown.

The proportion of people shopping around for family lawyers grew from 24 to 26 per cent, but fell from 33 to 27 per cent for conveyancers.

There were sharp falls in the personal injury market, from 15 to 9 per cent, and in employment from 24 per cent to 16 per cent. The numbers shopping around for will writing hardly changed, at around 22 per cent.

"Legal services reforms have brought in a wider choice of providers, but this will make little difference unless consumers have the tools and confidence to search the market and vote with their feet," Elisabeth Davies, chair of the panel, said.

"It's difficult for consumers to choose and use legal services, but there's much that regulators can do to make things easier. This area is crying out for a clear strategy and leadership, but no-one has yet to really grasp the nettle."

Clients were asked for the first time in this year's survey whether they used customer feedback websites, such as icomparesolicitors.co.uk and solicitor.info.

It emerged that 2 per cent used them, twice as many as used legal price comparison websites. Membership of an accreditation scheme was used by four per cent of clients to locate lawyers.

Those who made the effort to shop around were more likely to be satisfied with value for money than those who did not, 65 per cent compared with 56, and with customer service, 89 per cent compared with 79 per cent.

Price came only fifth on the table of 'choice factors' influencing clients' decision-making.

Reputation was in first place, with 72 per cent, followed by location, specialist expertise and speed of delivery.

YouGov carried out the research in February this year with a nationally representative group of over 1,700 people and 1,460 who had used legal services in the last two years.