Choosing a legal services provider

Legal services providers should carry out the work you need done, to the standard you expect, at a good price.

You can compare legal services providers. You may have drawn up a short list from online searches or recommendations. Or you may not have a provider in mind at all. Either way, comparison and review websites can help you choose the right legal services provider for you.

Customer reviews and comparison sites

People often use comparison and review websites when choosing products and services.
Such sites can also help you choose a legal services provider.

Regulated legal services providers must meet basic standards. You can expect them to:

  • be competent
  • behave ethically
  • have a complaints procedure
  • have a minimum level of insurance.

Quality can vary across providers. Some may be experts in specific areas of law. Some types of service may be highly tailored, while others may be the same for everyone. Prices can also vary between among providers.

Comparison and review sites can help you understand the service you will get. You can see what other customers have said and whether they were happy. Some sites are just for legal services. Others cover insurance and financial services, too.

By looking at more than one review, you will get a better idea of the service a firm offers. No one gets it right all the time. One bad review doesn’t mean you will get poor service. But if there are many bad reviews, you might want to think carefully about whether the provider is right for you.

It’s important to read replies to bad reviews. You’ll see both points of view and how the provider deals with unhappy customers. This will give you an idea of what they are like to work with and how they react when things go wrong.

Shopping around for legal services

Some of the regulators behind Legal Choices have launched a pilot scheme to help people use comparison websites. Right now, the scheme is focusing on buying and selling a home and on work-related issues.

Comparison websites involved in the pilot include:

Legal regulators have created a voluntary code of conduct for the websites in the pilot. The code sets out the standards regulators expect the sites to meet. It tries to make sure they are independent, transparent and fair to consumers and to firms.