After Lord Falconer shared the opinion that there was a need in the UK for cheaper and more accessible legal advice, supermarket Tesco are now preparing to launch their own legal services range, on top of their food, home ware and clothing ranges.
In addition to budget will writing and storage services (already offered elsewhere) the Tesco Legal site will also offer a DIY divorce kit for around eight pounds, which would allow the parties involved to put an end to a marriage without the need for a solicitor or traditional legal advice.
The 70 billion pounds a year chain, has also expressed plans to introduce DIY letting agreements and ltd company packs-containing all the appropriate forms required when setting up a limited company. There will also be a detailed Question & Answer service online and sections of the site explaining what all the legal terms mean, both of which will help members of the public make sense of the terminology, forms and processes.
Experts in the field have said that Tesco Legal Store is set to be a frontrunner, but that many other companies will follow suit, offering an even wider range of cut price or self service legal services, particularly after the reform of the ownership rules which previously governed law firms.
Once the July 2009 consultation document was, Lord Falconer suggested that the so called ‘Tesco law’ would be an exemplary example of the way legal advice can be offered to the public at a lower cost, although at the time Sir David Clementi, who lead the consultation, brushed off the idea and said he felt the term ‘Tesco law’ a distraction and a media folly.
However, it does seem that the DIY or services will appear and continue to increase, possibly leading to a decline in the numbers seeking professional advice from qualified solicitors, with many experts concerned about the quality of such advice and urging those needing legal advice to stick to traditional methods and reputable legal firms.
However, The Law Society, seem unconcerned about their members seeing a drop in clients, issuing a statement saying they see Tesco Legal as an “innovative addition to the market”.
Cheshire solicitors, Oneill Morgan have expertise in a wide range of legal areas, so if you need advice then visit www.oneill-morgan.co.uk to find out more about wills and probate and other areas of law.