Londoners offered free legal advice as part of campaign to keep solicitors local

Solicitors from London branches of QualitySolicitors hit the streets of Covent Garden yesterday, offering free legal advice to the public as part of a new campaign to keep solicitors local.

The campaign comes following the introduction of a new law that could see the withdrawal of yet another service from local areas. The Legal Services Act allows organisations like supermarkets, banks and breakdown firms to offer legal advice, putting local solicitors at risk.

Gregory Stapleton and Sibel Kiazim from QualitySolicitors Stapletons in Palmers Green, and Tony Fisher and Charlotte Knappett from QualitySolicitors FJG on Fleet Street manned a pop-up office in Covent Garden for the day and gave free legal advice to members of the public on issues from divorce to buying a home.

Craig Holt, Chief Executive of QualitySolicitors, said:

“It was great to get support from Londoners for our campaign to keep solicitors local. The public really appreciated the face-to-face advice we offered as part of the event - the kind of advice we offer at QualitySolicitors every day. It’s important to our clients that we build a relationship with them and provide access to justice locally.”

The solicitors were joined by nine ‘faceless solicitors’ - actors wearing spring onion, tyre and coin-shaped heads - who aimed to raise awareness of the benefits of quality, face-to-face advice offered by local solicitors that supermarkets, banks and breakdown services may struggle to replicate.

The event is part of a campaign to keep solicitors local involving press, posters and TV advertising, an online film and the @FacelessSol Twitter feed.

QualitySolicitors offers expert legal advice in over 400 locations across the UK. For more information, visit www.qualitysolicitors.com

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About QualitySolicitors:

• Launched in 2010, QualitySolicitors is a group of law firms across the country working as part of the QualitySolicitors brand. Only one firm per local area is selected to become a QualitySolicitors partner. Customer feedback forms an integral part of the selection process.
• QualitySolicitors’ national network of lawyers consists of over 100 branches across England and Wales.
• QualitySolicitors lawyers are experts in their fields dealing with both consumer and SME legal matters. QualitySolicitors offers a personal, local service but with the assurance of a recognised national brand.
• QualitySolicitors’ website address is www.qualitysolicitors.com
• In 2011 QualitySolicitors secured equity investment from Palamon Capital Partners, a private equity house with a £700m fund.