Mike Roberts: Now’s the time to disrupt the legal sector

 

Mike Roberts is the Managing Director of LegalShield UK and is determined to disrupt the legal sector, and here's why:

 

 

Legal services contribute around £25 billion to the UK economy. It’s a huge industry that employs and serves thousands of people. Yet, in today’s world, it’s one of the very few industries that has innovated or disrupted.

For a long time, access to legal services has been the domain of the ‘elite’, with the average person being intimidated by and confused about the UK legal system. Our latest research found that one-third of Brits who have experienced a legal situation in the last two years didn’t get professional help.

To overcome this challenge, and make legal services accessible to the masses, it’s important that the sector becomes more innovative and flexible to avoid being left behind.

In short, it needs a shake-up. And here’s how:

Cost should not be a barrier

The legal sector has developed a reputation, and rightly so, for being expensive. Therefore, many people who find themselves amid a legal dispute will often struggle financially or will simply not go ahead with pursuing legal support leaving them in a potentially challenging situation.

However, cost shouldn’t be a barrier when it comes to solving disputes. With LegalDefence, we aim to transform the legal sector in the UK by placing an experienced legal team at consumers’ fingertips for a fraction of the normal cost. The subscription-based service has been created to tackle some of the barriers that may prevent people from getting the legal advice they need to help with legal situations, helping them make better-informed decisions in a timely and less stressful way from only £19 per month.

If more of the UK legal industry can find a new approach to helping consumers battle their legal disputes at a fraction of the cost, then potentially millions of people will be able to access the help they need, when they need it.

Consumers taking back control

Although we won’t want to admit that we meet the stereotype of being non-confrontational and shying away from issues, for most of us Brits, it is true.

Yet legal disputes don’t need to be scary or aggressive. Despite not being as litigious a society as the US, where people seem to be quick to turn to legal services when in need, UK consumers should still depend on the law when they need support and guidance. Above all, it’s important for the UK legal industry to educate and present the law as a cushion of protection to fall back on during challenging times in our lives.

Technology creating ease-of-use

The legal sector has earned a reputation for being slow to adapt to the pace of change. Yet law firms can no longer afford to resist technological advances that have the potential to attract clients. Companies that are challenging the way law is practiced with innovative applications that can be deployed to increase efficiency, costs, and provide early adopters are taking advantage over their competitors. Technology particularly creates an opportunity like no other that can educate the public.

We’re in an age where the majority of consumers turn to technology for answers. With consumers looking to technology to learn, it’s imperative that the legal industry appeals to consumers in a way that they understand.

With the LegalDefence app, members are given access to a team of qualified legal professionals when they need it, to help with all areas of consumer and criminal law. Using the smartphone app, members can go through to a legal adviser straight away. They’re also given help from an AI-powered chatbot that helps to answer common legal questions, designed to build consumer confidence in dealing with legal situations that might otherwise seem daunting.

For the legal sector to grow, it’s imperative that it innovates.

At LegalShield, we take pride in our services being affordable and accessible to everyone, whatever their financial situation. By putting ourselves in the consumer's position, we consider what we would want if we were battling a dispute: 24/7 legal advice that can help us feel empowered and confident wherever and whatever the situation, as well as expertise from someone aware of what they’re doing.