This article was previously published in the September 2009 isssue of the Internet Newsletter.
“I would like to make it clear” said Craig Holt, barrister, founder, and CEO of Quality Solicitors “that this is not just a referral company, providing leads to solicitors. It is much more than that”. Right. So what is it then?
It all started when Craig moved to Leicestershire and had difficulties in finding a suitable conveyancing firm. The idea came to him then for developing a trusted brand. More recently, he found an increasing number of solicitors he worked with expressing display at the future of the legal profession and the prospect of ‘big name’ brands entering the market. “How can we possibly compete?” they would say. Craig’s answer was that that alone perhaps they couldn’t, but by combining forces with other like-minded firms they could be powerful enough to provide real competition from within the profession. He decided to give it a go.
This was in about March 2008. Since then he has been working hard to make the dream a reality. Central to this was finding firms to do the legal work. One of the earliest was Scutt Beaumont, a small general practice in Leicester. Senior partner Prakash Modi admits that initially he was very sceptical. However “Craig was very persuasive” and eventually he agreed to join, becoming part of the initial pilot launched in September 2008.
After news about the scheme hit the press, Quality Solicitors were deluged with applications from solicitors firms wanting to join. What are the selection criteria? Craig:
“Our selection committee, of which I am the head, is openly and unashamedly subjective Although accreditation and Lexcel are important, they are not everything. Rather we spend time to get a real feel for the ethos of a particular firm. We look for firms who embody our own approach – an “anti-Tesco law” approach, firms who deplore the over-commoditisation of legal services, and believe passionately in the value of real relationships with clients.”
A more recent member is Scottish firm Inksters. Sole practitioner Brian Inkster:
“One of the main things which attracted me to QSO was the quality aspect. The company only take on firms they consider suitable, and work is subject to quality control. This is done by clients being asked by the head office to give feedback on their experience. If a firm proves unsatisfactory, it will be asked to leave the group. I like the fact that there is an independent third party review in this way”.
The service is essentially a hub and spoke operation. In the centre is Quality Solicitors, who receive queries, either via the web (www.qualitysolicitors.com) or by phone. LLB graduates are employed to assess these, and pass them out to member firms. Firms have an obligation to respond to referrals within a few hours. After that it is up to them. So how happy are the member firms with the work received?
Prakash Modi is delighted. He has made a good profit from his membership so far, and has employed an additional solicitor and legal clerk to deal with the extra work. In fact the only problem is that at times he gets more work than the firm can handle!
Brian Inkster is also upbeat. “We have already received referrals, indeed I was surprised at the number we received so early on. Some have been converted to clients, other may do in the future”. Another firm we contacted however was unwilling to comment, just saying that it was early days and that their experience had been “mixed”.
There is obviously a cost to member firms. This is an annual subscription rather than a fee per case, and is based on whether referrals are national or local. Although it is obviously a fairly hefty sum, both Brian and Prakash feel it is money well spent.
So what is the future for Quality Solicitors? The immediate job is to recruit more member firms to deal with the deluge of work coming in. Apart from this, Craig has ambitious plans for the company.
“We have just launched the QualitySolicitors.com Buying Group which provides discounts on a wide-range of items, sometimes so much that it actually offsets the cost of QualitySolicitors.com membership!”
The company is also looking to provide free CPD, and run regular courses and conferences for member firms.
And long term? Craig again :
“I see us growing to be the first true household name legal organisation. People will talk of Barclays for their banking, Halifax for their mortgages, Direct line for their insurance and QualitySolicitors.com for their legal needs.”
You know, he might just do it!
© 2009 Tessa Shepperson
With thanks to Craig Holt of Quality Solicitors, Prakash Modi of Scutt Beaumont and Brian Inkster of Inksters.
Note: you will find a more recent article on Quality Soliciors (August 2010) here.
