Irwin Mitchell has signed a deal with Telegraph Media Group (TMG) that will see the paper offering legal services to readers.
The firm has traditionally offered commoditised legal services through major insurers such as Aviva and LV, but this is the first time it has signed up a media outlet as a distribution channel.
Irwin Mitchell head of insurance Joe Simpson said: “For Irwin Mitchell it broadens the channels and echoes the new ways in which legal services will be delivered [after the Legal Services Act (LSA)]. It’s the first post-LSA move for a newspaper brand.”
Simpson said the firm had seen a significant increase in the number of high street brands looking to move into the commoditised legal services area.
“In the past six months we’ve begun a number of negotiations with some big brands,” he said. “This is just the beginning for us. We’re a firm looking for growth and this is where we see it coming from.”
Irwin Mitchell has made no secret of its post-LSA ambitions. The firm lobbied on a government level to have the LSA implemented sooner so it would be better placed to compete with new entrants into the sector.
Last month the firm opened a base in Bristol in a bid to break into the South West legal market (The Lawyer, 16 Feburary).
Readers' comments (2)
City Gent | 22-Mar-2010 1:21 pm
This isn't news. IM have been touting their services through the Telegraph for years - http://legalservices.telegraph.co.uk/.
It sounds like they needed to inject a bit of life into a tired idea and issued a press release which The Lawyer obligingly recycled.
Much easier than journalism!
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michael brown | 25-Mar-2010 7:26 pm
Excellent. D'y think they'll do defamation claims?
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