Pioneering legal website launches law firm referral panel


Hamilton: we don’t believe in referral fees

The company that says it was the first in the UK to provide free online legal advice for both businesses and consumers is to launch its first law firm panel for referrals – although it will not charge for them.

Compact Law, which launched in 1996, offers online legal documents and packs alongside advice on common areas of law, and director Patrick D’Alton Hamilton said these generate a number of requests for legal help every day.

Until now Compact Law has operated an informal free case referral service, but Mr Hamilton said the plan now is to formalise it and give clients greater choice by building a panel. Initially referrals will remain free – “we don’t believe in referral fees,” he said – but in time some kind of fixed cost not related to individual cases may be introduced.

“It benefits us to be able to say to people who come to our website that we can find them a lawyer,” he explained.

There will also be a dedicated website which he hoped would generate more requests for referrals. Mr Hamilton added: “We like to refer cases to actual lawyers, rather than sending cases to the firm or chambers, for them to allocate. We are also looking for lawyers within independent firms, not existing marketing groups.”

Compact Law carries out a brief assessment of all requests for referral – dealing with any simple queries internally. If the case needs referral, the company e-mails around eight suitable lawyers within the network to see if they are interested. As they e-mail back, their direct contact details are passed to the client, and the lawyer is told the name of the client.

Mr Hamilton said: “We operate on a first-come first-served basis. So when a lawyer responds, we tell them if they are the first lawyer to respond or how many have responded before them. We obsess over finding a suitable lawyer quickly; in the vast majority of cases we can do this same-day, and in many cases within an hour.”

To find out more, e-mail: support@compactlaw.co.uk

 

Tags:




    Readers Comments

  • Lets hope that a focus on speed in finding a lawyer doesn’t sacrifice the quality or suitability of service that a client needs. I for one am not convinced.

  • In response:

    1. We allow the client to decide the best lawyer for them.

    2. We also request feedback from clients after they have instructed a solicitor or barrister.

    3. Our existing referral network has grown purely from recommendations. We are now seeking to extend our network.

    4. We have spent quite a few years doing this, since 1996, so we have a good idea of what works for both clients and lawyers.

    5. We do spend time finding the right potential solicitors and barristers for each client.

    Kerry if you would like to recommend your own clients please do.

  • Peter Duff says:

    I have spent years persuading clients that the value in legal advice is enhanced by a long term relationship and a full understanding of the client’s business. Compact Law and other agencies working in a similar way trry to reduce that relationship to a click of a mouse and a referral.

  • Peter,

    The situation is that we are approached by both consumers and businesses seeking legal advice and lawyers to take on their cases.

    What they are seeking is what you can provide.

    We refer clients to both solicitors and barristers, without a referral fee.

    It is then up to those who receive these clients to establish a long-term and trusted relationship – exactly what law firms are built to do.


Leave a Comment

By clicking Submit you consent to Legal Futures storing your personal data and confirm you have read our Privacy Policy and section 5 of our Terms & Conditions which deals with user-generated content. All comments will be moderated before posting.

Required fields are marked *
Email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Blog


Embracing the future: Navigating AI in litigation

Whilst the UK courts have shown resistance to change over time, in the past decade they have embraced the use of some technologies that naturally improve efficiency. Now we’re in the age of AI.


A sorry tale of two conveyances

In a first for this website, Mrs Legal Futures has written a blog. All the lawyers have been named after Teletubbies, partly for privacy but mostly for petty revenge.


Combatting discrimination caused by algorithms requires a uniform approach

As we see more and more decision-making responsibilities once entrusted solely to humans now delegated to automated systems, we are also observing a rise in algorithmic discrimination.


Loading animation