LLS BLOG: Epoq's Jon Busby pitches Tesco Law V Brand Solicitor

Just in case you missed it can I remind you that was 2004. So why do some law firms still bang on about it? No I don't know either. There are a lot of legal bloggers, (myself included), blogging about it. Am I the only one that thinks "Tesco Law" is a bit of a red herring?

Just what in the heck is "Tesco Law" anyhow? Well for starters I do not think it is the law firm eliminator that some legal commentators keep saying it will be. I wish I had a pound for every solicitor I talk to that says something like "oh well brands will wipe us out". No they won't. You should be more worried about other law firms who are getting their act together.

Law firms that utilise new client engagement tools will put themselves at an advantage and will not have to worry about "Tesco Law".

What I am talking about is the use of client facing technology. Now I appreciate that may make some switch off but it will prove for many firms to be critical even defining.

Law firms need to be thinking about the outward facing solution because when I read legal technology sites they seem to go on about internal use. The future is "social" and what that means is turning your websites to point at clients so they can engage and transact with you.

Many of you will have drafting tools but are they flexible enough to be delivered via a browser so that you can draft anytime, anywhere? Do they provide seamless back office functionality so you can manage the workflow? Do your systems talk to each other? Can your clients engage with those drafting tools to create an initial draft that can be seamlessly passed to you for review so you can maintain control of the process? Can clients utilise electronic payment on your website through a shopping cart?
Online technology has really evolved for law firms in the last year or so and now allows all of the functionality that I have just mentioned. This technology works and is being used by law firms right now.

Allowing technology to reduce the "labour cost" whilst maintaining the quality standard means law firms can become very innovative in their charging structure and provide the security to offer fixed pricing on certain areas of service. Delivering online services is also available at a low participation risk, in other words it doesn't actually cost that much to deploy.

Online document delivery, beyond your current flat, brochure ware site enables you to engage with clients in a way that they can relate to. It's the way they, (including you and me) do with their bank, insurance company, travel agent, stockbroker etc.
There is a theme here and it can be summed up in one word: choice. Choice for you, choice for your clients. Clients like making a choice. I choose to come in to your office and pay "x" or I choose to commence online and pay "y". But as a client I have made that choice and that makes me feel like you understand my needs. You provide me with a solution that fits my need.

You see, I think what is actually holding back change is the fact that the market is not yet aware of how to engage with a law firm in a transparent and rewarding way. This puts your firm in a powerful position.

Why? Because you can control the change, you can start the fires. Tell the market there is a new way of dealing with your firm and it will see the benefit of doing so. You start the fire, you decide how bright it will burn.

Imagine if you were an SME and you could go to a law firm's website and build a shareholder agreement. Then electronically submit it securely to the law firm, maybe even pay for it online, (managing your Rule 2 letter in the process), and the solicitor receives the document and reviews and amends it. Solicitor and client can chat it through via secure online, in-site messaging, over the phone or face to face, (that word "choice" again). The law firm may offer such a service for say 25% less than drafting face to face. Some clients will like the traditional delivery, (and may have to because of the complexity of the work) but clients will like having a choice of how they can engage with you.

That is what is great about technology. It has a habit of not actually changing things, just make them better.

With digital document delivery you can now offer an alternative distribution to the "time poor" or "tech comfortable" and/or price sensitive client yet still deliver traditionally.
A keyword is developing for law firms and that word is platform. The platform is a new method of delivery for those firms that recognise its potential. It is the platform where your clients will become informed, engage and transact with you. You will control your platform and determine its success or failure. You do not lose your traditional delivery model with the platform. You get a new way to deliver.

That is exactly what Tesco did when they introduced online shopping. It didn't mean they had to shut down all of their stores, far from it they now have even more stores. They just realised that there was a digital market that would buy their stuff online. Some of their customers go in-store, (or in your case in-office), some go online and some do both. Customers choose because you give them a choice...have I done the choice thing to death yet?

So maybe "Tesco Law" is not about what brands will do in the legal market. Maybe it is about law firms acting more Tesco-like such as thinking about messaging, marketing, pricing, product, position, delivery, customer service etc.

Whilst it may seem a long way off now, online document technology is going to be central in delivering what your clients really want.

The "rumble in the jungle" may seem a long way off, it is much nearer than you think.