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Trucking giant Eddie Stobart enters legal market with barristers business

18 May 2012 | By Lucy Burton

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Transport company Eddie Stobart lorries has launched a legal service that promises to connect businesses to barristers without having to go through a solicitor.

Stobart Barristers, the new service formed by the Stobart Group, has said it can cut the cost of barristers’ services by charging clients a fixed fee and using paralegals instead of solicitors to help prepare a case.

The service, which will refer individuals or businesses to barristers for a proportion of the upfront fee, was first formed four years ago when Stobart Group legal director Trevor Howarth decided the company should go directly to the bar.

Howarth said: “People want to know from the outset what a service is going to cost, but most who go to a solicitors don’t have a clue. We saw substantial reductions in our legal spend by going directly to barristers as well as the opportunities from alternative business structures [ABS] - everyone’s been looking at solicitors but nobody’s looked at the bar.”

Recent entrants to the ABS market have included Insurance firm Parabis, which agreed a £50m funding deal with private equity house Duke Street in January (6 February 2012).

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Readers' comments (11)

  • Anonymous | 18-May-2012 1:03 pm

    GREAT NEWS FOR PROSPECTIVE TRAINEES AND THE JUNIOR BAR EH !!!

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  • Anonymous | 18-May-2012 2:51 pm

    Trucking hell!

    A concerned barrister

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  • long distance clara | 18-May-2012 3:52 pm

    WTF? Is this a belated April Fools. Making a mockery of the profession.

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  • Dan | 18-May-2012 4:19 pm

    In other words more or less E. Stobart sets up own chambers formed of two distinctive parts barristers and admin staff just like the other chambers. Brilliant!
    Surely E. Stobart go straight to barristers traditionally becasue they have the "solicitors" part covered in-house. What about a smaller firm without a capable in-house solicitor?

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  • Molly Dolly | 18-May-2012 4:45 pm

    I look forward to extending my lorry spotting motorway game to Court waiting rooms as barristers sport that familiar green livery and no doubt each bearing a distinctive lady's name as they speedily go about their cases

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  • Anonymous | 18-May-2012 6:50 pm

    Does this not mean Solictors only do work that's suitable for paralegals?
    Its lucky the bar has such innate interpersonal skill
    Arf!

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  • Unhappy Trucker | 18-May-2012 8:57 pm

    I'm not having this. I shall be straight down to Frank's Garage to buy the biggest van he has and I will advertise my services - Law Man With Van. If Stobbart wants a war then I'll give him a war.

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  • Dan | 22-May-2012 9:55 am

    @Unhappy Trucker
    "And just to make sure that all bases are covered I am gonna make the Law Van a convertible one". - Now that should send the right message.

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  • george mc cloy | 10-Jun-2012 12:22 pm

    e stobart are simply the best

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  • Anonymous | 30-Oct-2012 7:34 pm

    I am going to set up in France as an Avocat with Norbert Dentressangle!

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