So Amanda Holden believes she can judge on the legal profession as well as Britain having talent. Her attendance at the opening of the WHSmith association with the Quality Solicitors brand appears to have been a little bizarre.
She allegedly indicated that you can walk into WHSmith and be provided with a list of solicitors that are “kosher, who are not going to rip you off”. She allegedly suggested that Quality Solicitors had official Law Society backing by stating that “There’s a governing body for solicitors and what they’ve done is they’ve gone to each town, they’ve picked the best solicitor from each town so there’s not a whole load of them and they’ve done a survey, they’ve contacted the clients… listened to the feedback, picked the cream of the crop and put them on that Quality Solicitors list.”
For clarity, the Law Society (being the governing body of solicitors) has not gone into each town to pick the cream of the crop; Quality Solicitors have gone into each town and offered firms of solicitors the opportunity to become part of the Quality Solicitors franchise, for a fee. This was an opportunity that many first class legal firms, including Merseyside firm, Morecrofts Solicitors, politely declined.
Julie Waring, Partner at Morecrofts said, “Choosing a solicitor to deal with any type of matter requires care and I would recommend that before making your decision you speak to the person who will be dealing with your case. It is important that you feel comfortable and confident that he or she will look after you and your interests so don’t ever be afraid to ask what experience and qualifications they have.
“We are fortunate at Morecrofts to have a range of specialist lawyers, qualified to provide advice and representation for all of your legal needs. Our staff, along with the many legal accreditations we have including Lexel, Resolution, and Children’s Panel to name a few, means that we consider ourselves to be solicitors of quality without becoming part of a national brand. After all, we have been in the business for almost 200 years so we know we’re doing something right!”
Amanda Holden went on to say that a Quality Solicitors’ firm was a better option than a personal recommendation saying that, “a law firm that had handled a divorce for a friend may not be the best firm to do your home move”. She clearly has a degree in stating the obvious.
Julie Waring continues, “The law is a complex and litigious area and as with most professions each aspect of the law is specialised. In many cases the specialities overlap and at a multi-disciplined firm like ours, the department’s work together to ensure that clients receive the best possible service and advice. For example, if at the end of a divorce matter the former matrimonial home needs to be transferred your family lawyer will instruct a member of the property department to complete the transfer.”
It is important to remember that Quality Solicitors are no different than any other franchise such as McDonald’s and Subway. The firms who are members of Quality Solicitors are franchisees and pay tens of thousands of pounds to be part of the national Quality Solicitors brand. Does this make them better or of higher quality than other solicitors who haven’t paid to become part of the Quality Solicitors brand? Amanda Holden seems to think so but we beg to differ. |
