Thursday, 07 March 2019

Consumer failings

Consumer champions’ calls for transparency within the legal industry have been answered by a legal reviews website. SRA and Legal Ombudsman law firm compliance breeches together with customer reviews have been published for the first time in a way that enables consumers to access the data in an easily accessible format all in one place.

Solicitor.info has built upon its record of emancipating consumers from the traditional legal system and empowering them to make informed decisions when choosing a solicitor.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) had been criticised by consumer bodies, such as the Legal Services Consumer Panel and the competition and markets authority for lack of transparency. Additionally, the slow-moving nature of the disclosure meant that consumers were kept in the dark of full facts when attempting to choose a solicitor. This issue was exacerbated by the fact that the information, when it did finally reach the disclosure stage on the SRA’s website, was difficult to compare many different solicitors’ records.

Quest for transparency

Solicitor.info has tackled this problem by housing the data in an easy to navigate platform where consumers are able to compare solicitor firms using SRA and Ombudsman data together with client reviews and other information. This is a unique platform- storing all of this information all on one searchable place, empowering the consumer to make an informed choice based on meaningful data.

The website was founded a decade ago by David Sprake, a renewable energy university senior lecturer, following a poor personal experience with a solicitor. Of the move to publish the disciplinary records Sprake said: ‘legal consumers have been crying out for a genuine consumer focused website and not simply an advertising platform for solicitors.’


Notes for Editors:
• Solicitor.info was founded in 2007 by David Sprake, senior lecturer and programme leader for renewable energy at Wrexham Glyndwr University
• Award winning website has 17,000 client reviews
• Contact can be made via Email: info@solicitor.info or telephone 07973 501853
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