18 November 2011

Acorn Law to launch into PI market with pledge not to pay or charge referral fees

The first law firm launched in direct response to the government’s decision to ban referral fees in personal injury cases is set to go live.

Acorn Law, which is pledging not to pay referral fees or charge them to other suppliers, is also looking to recruit an advisory panel made up of former personal injury claimants, who will provide insight into the claims process from the victim’s point of view.

Bringing an end to the so-called referral fee merry-go-round, Acorn said it will instead market itself directly to the public on the quality of work and guaranteed service standards that, with the help of the advisory panel, go to the heart of what victims want from their lawyers.

The practice comprises experienced personal injury litigators, backed by bespoke technology. Chief executive David Green, who is calling on the substantial resources of national law firm MTA Solicitors to support Acorn, said: “The ban on referral fees will reinvigorate the personal injury market, allowing law firms to focus on the quality of service they provide to clients rather than who can pay the most for a case.

“The row over the so-called compensation culture should not overshadow the fact that hundreds of thousands of people are injured each year through no fault of their own and are entitled to compensation for their losses. The ban will hopefully drive out the worst excesses and allow lawyers to do what they do best: act in the best interests of their clients.”

As well as providing a fresh proposition to the public, the aim is for Acorn to act as a pathfinder for MTA as it re-engineers its personal injury practice ahead of the ban, which is likely to take effect next autumn.

Acorn is currently recruiting advisory panel members. They will meet twice a year with senior members of the Acorn team to help design a process that is responsive to victims’ needs. Their first task will be to draft a client charter.

Tags: personal injury, referral fees

One Response to “Acorn Law to launch into PI market with pledge not to pay or charge referral fees”

1. You rightly lead on the referral fee aspect but the advisory panel idea strikes me as something of an innovation if it is taken forward with serious intent. Do any other firms do something similar? They tried to do this sort of thing in relation to CLS planning years ago and found it very difficult but it’s an interesting idea.

Richard Moorhead on November 18th, 2011 at 12:18 pm