The new head of a Darlington-based law firm has welcomed a significant shake-up within the legal profession as a great opportunity for the firm.
Peter Furness has been appointed managing partner at Clark Willis after 15 years at the firm.
The appointment coincides with controversial restructuring within the industry, which will allow non-legal companies and organisations to provide legal services, in a move which has become known as “Tesco Law”.
But Mr Furness’ views the upheaval as an opportunity to take Clark Willis, which has two offices in Darlington and one in Catterick Garrison, to the next level.
He said: “My task is to guide Clark Willis through the next few years when there will be significant changes within the legal profession and how people access services.
“Many traditional firms view the changes as a threat, but we see it as an opportunity because it will bring far greater transparency with no hidden pricing structures and that has got to be good news for our clients.”
The phrase ‘Tesco Law’ has come into use because it is expected that several large well-known organisations – including supermarket chains – will enter the legal services market. It is hoped the de-regulation will bring simpler, lower-cost legal services to the consumer available from many more access points and online.
Mr Furness said the first challenge for Clark Willis would be to review its fee structure, making costs far simpler to understand with incentives and discounts for early and prompt payment.
[Download as PDF]