Time for new role models

Surely the message can't be any clearer? Law firms have taken a real bashing from all quarters already this year. Whether it's outraged national media journalists (£1,000 per hour, anyone?), respected think-tanks confidently predicting the end of the status quo, or our own esteemed regulatory body insisting that things must change - it's time for a new approach.

Of course, not everyone will pay heed to the warnings.

The alarming statistic I saw recently, that 4,000 law firms (out of 10,500) in England & Wales will perish in a matter of just a few years ahead, is still not being taken as seriously as it should by many firms.

Accept and understand SMEs

The most disenfranchised group of legal services consumers are undoubtedly SMEs. Roughly 70 per cent of UK law firms are already chasing them for their business but are missing the mark. SMEs are in dire need of more choice and convenience when it comes to accessing legal advice.

Having worked client-side on many occasions, I know how challenging it is to make a decision on who to instruct when firms look, sound and speak the same way.

If you look deeply into the way SMEs currently consume legal services, as we've done at LHS, what emerges from all the research is that SMEs normally only talk to a lawyer as a last resort.

In fact, they'll do almost anything to avoid talking to a lawyer. They'd sooner try and manage a legal dilemma themselves or take advice from a non-lawyer or a lawyer friend over a coffee or in the pub than speak to a qualified professional. There's no point in trying to fight against this 'entrepreneurial', DIY psyche. Law firms must understand, accept and modify their offering accordingly instead of trying to fight against it.

The sad reality is that the legal experience for most SMEs involves: not knowing the steps ahead, how much it will cost, who will really do the work and/or how long a matter will take to resolve. What other kind of industry successfully operates this way in 2016?

By breaking up the process into smaller chunks for SMEs - offering free content to help them manage an issue themselves, offering quick review consultations or fully managing the job for them at fixed fees with realistic timelines, legal services will become more accessible, more modern, more cost-effective and more relevant. In most other areas of business these are hygiene factors that businesses simply do and it's shocking the legal sector hasn't caught up.

Role models

Most of us are thrilled by the convenience, speed and range of services offered by the likes of Amazon, Uber, Deliveroo and Netflix.

In their time, all these companies faced scepticism about whether they could compete with the existing, established competition. All were told in the early days that delivering their services couldn't be done or that it would be impossible to make a profit. How wrong everyone was.

It's these exciting disruptive businesses which law firms should be learning from not the established old naysayers.

These dynamic brands, as well as 'original pioneers' like Google and Apple have one thing in common. They really understood the pain points faced by customers. Instead of looking at what they knew and trying to sell as much of it as possible, they looked at what the problems were and simply supplied the solution. They led the way and the customers followed.

Taking inspiration from innovative and radical role models is something we should all be doing more of in the legal sector.

When we set about changing things in our own business we looked at the way we felt when we experienced services in the consumer retail space.

Think about it: why on earth would you enjoy consuming services in a convenient, quick and useful way on the web at the weekend - whether that's transferring money or shopping on a mobile device - then arrive at your desk on a Monday morning only to deliver your own service in the same unhelpful, clunky and outdated way it's been done for a hundred years or more? It makes no common sense or business sense.

Innovative and radical

By offering as many ways as possible for people to interact and engage with your firm any time and from anywhere, be it through digital content on your web and blog sites, social media, face-to-face or at the end of a phone line, firms will make a real, tangible difference to clients.

Small business owners in particular crave more control over the services they buy and want to feel more empowered and knowledgeable about the legal process before they dive right in. Like all of us they want things to be quicker, cheaper and faster and the firms that deliver on this expectation will end up victorious. 99 per cent of law firms are the same. The only way to stand out is through service delivery and the experience you offer.

Being innovative and radical is not simply a choice anymore - it's a necessity if you are going to succeed.

Merlie Calvert, director of business legal services, LHS Solicitors