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Mike Roberts receives the award from Susannah Schofield
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LegalShield Wins National Business Award

01 Oct 2020

DSA Press release

17/09/19: Oxford-based company LegalShield UK, has been named as the winner of the Disruptive Technology Award at the 2019 UK Direct Selling Awards.

The national awards, which were held this year at The Belfry Hotel & Resort, are hosted by the Direct Selling Association (DSA), the industry body for direct-to-consumer retail. The awards recognise the best individuals, teams and companies in the industry, which includes many well-known and much-loved household names; brands such as Avon, Neal’s Yard Remedies Organic, Usborne Books at Home and The Body Shop at Home.

Direct selling is a £2.67 billion industry in the UK and the latest market data shows that the sector is enjoying a renaissance, with turnover increasing by 27% last year. Over 563,000 people work in the sector.

The Disruptive Technology Award is awarded to a business that has harnessed new technologies, or business models, or has demonstrated an innovative or new use of existing technology.

LegalShield UK, which offers consumers legal protection via subscription-based access to a pool of legal advisors and experts, launched in the UK this year following over 45 years’ operating in North America. The service includes a mobile app as well as innovative AI technology, and has approximately 4.4 million users in the USA.

Susannah Schofield OBE, Director General of the Direct Selling Association, who led the judging, comments: “LegalShield has brought an extremely innovative approach to the UK market and its use of technology combined with its direct-to-consumer sales strategy makes it not only a worthy winner of this award, but ‘one to watch’ over the coming months and years. I am delighted to congratulate Mike Roberts and his team.”

The award judges included Elias Jahshan, Editor of leading UK retail news site Retail Gazette, ex-Member of Parliament Lembit Öpik, business mentor Alison Chapman, and Paul Dobson, a member of the European Direct Selling Association (Seldia) Ethics Committee.

 

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About LegalDefence and LegalShield

LegalDefence is currently only available to members who live in England and Wales.

The app has been developed by LegalShield, the world’s fastest growing provider of membership based and app-enabled legal services for consumers. It has attracted some 1.7m members to date across the North America and Canada.

The business was originally founded by Harland C Stonecipher in Oklahoma in 1972 after he was involved in a car accident. Whilst he had car, medical and life insurance, the one type of protection he didn’t have was for legal matters.

Previously the business was known as Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc and in the late 90s traded shares on both the American and New York Stock Exchanges. Today, LegalShield operates as a privately held business.

About The Direct Selling Association / Direct selling in the UK:

  • The £2.67 billion-a-year direct selling sector includes some of the UK’s best-known and most-loved brands: Avon, The Body Shop at Home, Usborne Books at Home and Neal’s Yard Remedies Organics. 
  • Direct selling is where products are sold directly to consumers outside of a fixed retail environment. This can be via face-to-face, parties, online or catalogues. 
  • It is estimated that 563,000 people work in direct selling in the UK, the majority (63%) of people do so alongside another job. 
  • Over a third of the UK population (34%) have bought products this way. 
  • The average monthly amount earned in UK direct selling is £372.95*; the vast majority of people do direct selling on a part-time basis to fit around family commitments or another job. 
  • The direct selling retail channel accounts for sales of approximately £2.67 billion-a-year and includes a wide range of consumer goods and services, from skincare to cosmetics to nutritional products.
  • The Direct Selling Association (DSA) is the recognised trade body for the direct selling industry in the UK.
  • The DSA is committed to upholding standards in the industry, and to promoting and encouraging best practice.
  • Always look for the DSA logo before choosing a company to work with – DSA member companies must adhere to strict Codes of Conduct which offer both seller and consumer greater levels of protection. 
  • www.dsa.org.uk