SueEasy Not So Easy, as Air Miles come to UK clients

September 3, 2009

edenic-lawyer

SueEasy.com, the lawyer/client matching service launched with much hullabaloo in spring 2008, is up for sale. The site was set up to allow potential litigants to post grievances, whereupon lawyers were supposed to offer to represent them.  SueEasy also enabled users to search for class actions to join in with other litigants.

Despite this, as Carolyn Elefant at Legal Blog Watch notes, SueEasy attracted “much criticism from the lawyers around the blogosphere, who described it as ‘Shangri-La for ambulance chasers‘ or the ‘worst lawyer idea ever‘.” And so it seems to have proved, with SueEasy now up for auction. Swordplay fears that its obvious potential for a libel suit or ten will deter UK investors, but SueEasy makes much of its allure for “brand ambassadors”. We’re not sure what this means, but perhaps someone will step up to the plate.

Meanwhile, Edward Fennell of the Times has news of a seemingly rather more benign legal innovation. QualitySolicitors.com is now with us, an online service comprised of over 100 UK law firms whose aim is to find the right solicitor for you (assuming you need one). QualitySolicitors has a blog, though we would respectfully suggest that if it is genuinely to be regarded as such it needs to be updated rather more regularly than is thus far apparent, but what Fennell finds most interesting about the site is that it also boasts a loyalty card. As he puts it: “Apparently clients will be able to earn Air Miles, take holidays and earn discounts on property moves.”

Fennell thinks this venture is a first for the UK legal community, and we agree. But is it as innocent as it seems? Or is it but another nail in the coffin for the small, independent law firm?

It strikes Swordplay that the much-vaunted commodification of the law is steadily, steathily, inexorably marching forward.

Pictured courtesy of AsylumEclectica: a lawyer in the Garden of Eden (Kansas-style) ponders recent developments in the legal profession.

 

One Response to “SueEasy Not So Easy, as Air Miles come to UK clients”

Posted by:
Craig Holt on September 6, 2009 at 2:49 pm

I am the CEO of QualitySolicitors.com.

I just wanted to explain a little about our organisation as it seems apparent from the above post that you might author might have misunderstand our aims.

Far from being responsible for putting “another nail in the coffin for the small, independent law firm”; our very raison d’etre is to help such firms survive in the post-LSA firm. Many of our, now 160, members are exactly that kind of firm and we welcome applications from others of sufficient quality. Our purpose is to develop a legal ‘umbrella branding’ under which firms can practice. In this way they can meet the threat of the new entrants by being part of a brand and equal the advantages of convenience provided by the larger corporations whilst still retaining their autonomy and independence as a firm. As a barrister myself I strongly believe in the important to society of these firms and will continue to fight the new entrants.

One thing I do agree with is that our blog needs some attention asap! We’ve only just launched the new site and haven’t yet really been in a position to focus on the blog. Keep checking in as it will be more heavily posted upon in due course!

Best wishes,

Craig

Comments

Please submit comments to Swordplay below.

Not so right said Fred

February 2, 2012
fred hat

So Farewell, then, Sir Fred Goodwin.

Now you are just Fred.

Not Right Said Fred, but plain Fred.

The Forfeiture Committee did for you.

No one had heard of it before,

But Dave said it had to act, and it did.

Trouble is that no one knows what to think.

Is it ‘Alas, poor Fred‘,

Or ‘Hurray! Sir Fred is dead!’?

We don’t know.

Do you?

By A. Mob, aged 1,378 and a half.

London Goes AWOL

January 31, 2012
CNN

STOP PRESS:

Fed up with being stuck on the Thames in south-east England, London yesterday decided to move. In a dramatic gesture which augurs ill for the Olympics, the city upped sticks and relocated to East Anglia.

Lawyers were not consulted about the move, and the city’s precise motivation remains unclear. However, financiers fear that London’s decision is a sign that it wishes to downsize. Moreover, a source from London said: “We no longer want to be Britain’s seat of power. If the Scots can deregulate, why can’t we? East Anglia is a nice place where nothing happens. It’s time for a quiet life. Please respect our right to privacy.”

Elsewhere, Birmingham did not do anything, but Manchester was seen to be packing its bags. “There’s an opportunity for us,” said Manchester. “We can become London.”

East Anglia said: “We don’t mind. It’ll be refreshing to be associated with something other than fens and flatness.”

A cartologist at CNN, which broke the extraordinary news, was later fired.

An excellent ad if ever there was one

January 25, 2012
legovader

We seem to be visually led this week but sometimes words proliferate far too much and letting an image do the talking is no bad thing. That’s another way of saying that ACCESS Agency’s work with Lego is absolutely top drawer.