Could the consumer legal market be opening up? With increasing uptake of technology, a recently published survey shows consumers may be more willing to work with their lawyer virtually than ever before.
According to the latest IRN Research Legal Services Market Report, consumer clients are more likely to look nationwide for a lawyer and are happy to speak to them using video chat.
The report showed that 71% of consumers were comfortable with using Zoom or other video technologies for legal consultations. Also, the percentage of consumers who would consider engaging a law firm or solicitor anywhere in the UK (rather than locally) has increased from 46% in 2019 to 59% according to the recent survey. The author of the report said:
‘Virtual consultations are here to stay and more legal providers will have to become adept at running these sessions,’
‘Of course, as this survey has shown, there will be some clients that will still demand a physical face-to-face contact in a firm’s office but a large majority of those using legal advisers during the pandemic and using video calls have been comfortable with these and would use these again.’
The survey of 1,200 consumers also found significant interest in downloadable legal documents. 72% of respondents said they would be use a website with templates for ‘DIY law’ if these were priced appropriately. Similarly, six out of ten consumers would be interested in using a freelance solicitor if they offered a lower priced services than traditional law firms.