Nick’s Page on the Web

August 2000

A monthly comment and roundup of developments on the UK legal Internet.
Also published in the Solicitors Journal.
Copyright © Nick Holmes 2000

What’s in a name?

The commercialisation of the web continues at ever increasing pace. The legal market in particular has seen a plethora of new online businesses set up in the last six months. The issue of branding is all-important: dozens of operations have set up branded Legal-This or LawThat and there are also increasingly businesses dedicated to delivering advice and documentation for particular types of legal problem - Employment-This, FamilyThat an so on. Many are operated by new limited companies set up to exploit the opportunities afforded by the internet. The majority of these are referral sites, aiming to attract custom for panel members for a fee or kick-back. But a large number are services run by existing firms of solicitors, conscious that a tag such as Smith Brown Jones & Co is not necessarily the optimum brand under which to deliver legal services on the web. Yet others are solicitors who have chosen to set up from the outset with a web-savvy name.

Following is a selection of such new businesses. This selection says nothing about the quality of service or usefulness of these sites, but rather serves as an illustration of how legal services on the web are developing and, in particular, how they are being promoted and branded. The business names are given as displayed on the websites - and often this is coterminous with the domain name, including the .com or .co.uk. The legal personality behind the trading name is also given wherever ascertainable. Against some of the general advice sites reference is made to April's Page on the Web where more detail about the site will be found.

Accident compensation

Accident and Injury Claims Centre at www.accidentclaims.com are Scottish solicitors.

AccidentCompensation.com at www.accidentcompensation.com is a referral service operated by Full Force Marketing.

AccidentDirect.com at www.accidentdirect.com is a referral service operated by Online Legal Marketing Ltd.

Action for Victims of Medical Accidents at www.avma.org.uk is a registered charity offering free advice.

Compensation Direct at www.compensationdirect.com is a referral service operated by [undisclosed].

InjuryClaimline.com at www.injuryclaimline.com is run by Stephen Rimmer & Co, solicitors.

The Compensation Shop at www.thecompensationshop.co.uk is a service from Boris Kremer, solicitor.

Business

UKDOCS at www.ukdocs.com is a business document service operated by UKDOCS Ltd.

Employment

Employment Solicitors UK at www.employment-solicitors.co.uk is a referral service operated by Full Force Marketing.

The Unfair Dismissal Website at www.unfair-dismissal.co.uk is a service run by Keeble Hawson, solicitors.

Family

Divorce.co.uk at www.divorce.co.uk is a operated by Mills & Reeves, English solicitors.

Divorce-Online at www.divorce-online.co.uk is a referral service operated by Divorce-Online Ltd.

DivorceUK.com at www.divorceuk.com is a referral service operated by Donald Wright, solicitor.

FamilyAdvice at www.familyadvice.co.uk is a referral service provided by Weblawyers Ltd.

Family-Solicitors at www.family-solicitors.co.uk is a referral service operated by Full Force Marketing.

General

Adviceguide at www.adviceguide.org.uk is a free advice service from the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux – see April.

DirectLaw at www.directlaw.co.uk is a document service owned by Epoch Software Holdings plc and also distributed by a number of commercial portals and solicitors firms.

DIY-Lawyer.com at www.diy-lawyer.com is a fixed fee advice and document service operated by DIY-Lawyer Ltd.

FirstLegalDirect.com at www.firstlegaldirect.com is a referral service operated by Legal Advantage Ltd.

Just Ask! at www.justask.org.uk is a directory of advice agencies and information providers from the Community Legal Service – see April.

Law on the Web at www.lawontheweb.co.uk is an information and referral service run by Martin Davies, solicitor – see April.

Law Solutions at www.lawsolutions.co.uk provides barristers' opinions and advices from lawsolutions.co.uk Ltd – see April.

Law2u.co.uk at www.law2u.co.uk is a directory of solicitors and legal services maintained by e2u plc – see April.

Law4Today at www.law4today.com is an information and referral service operated by Law 4 Today Ltd – see April.

Lawdocs.co.uk at www.lawdocs.co.uk is a document service from SDE Publishing Ltd.

LawGuide at www.lawguide.co.uk - server unavailable at time of review.

LawJunction.com at www.lawjunction.com is a referral service operated by Lawjunction Ltd.

LawPage at www.lawpage.co.uk is a directory operated by Law Web Ltd – see April.

LawRights at www.lawrights.co.uk is an information and document service from Lawrights Ltd – see April.

LawSolve at www.lawsolve.net is a fixed fee advice from a panel of solicitors, operated by [undisclosed].

The Legal Services Agency Ltd at www.lsa.org.uk is a Scottish charity providing free advice – see April.

LegalAidLawyers.com at www.legalaidlawyers.com is a directory of legal aid lawyers maintained by Olliers Solicitors.

LegalHelp at www.legalhelp.co.uk is a referral service operated by Legalhelp.co.uk Ltd.

Local-legal at www.local-legal.co.uk is a directory from Online Magic Ltd – see April.

The National Solicitors' Network at www.solicitor.co.uk is a network of independent solicitors.

OnLegal at www.onlegal.co.uk is a firm of solicitors.

OracleLaw at www.oraclelaw.co.uk is a Scottish legal information and document service from [undisclosed].

The Lawstore at www.thelawstore.co.uk is an information and document service operated by theLawStore (Online) Ltd.

Virtually Anywhere at www.virtuallyanywhere.co.uk is a referral service from Virtually Anywhere Ltd.

Property

Conveyancing Direct at www.conveyancingdirect.net.

Conveyancing Marketing Services at www.conveyancing-cms.co.uk is a referral service operated by an independent nationwide agency.

Landlord-Law Online at www.landlord-law.co.uk is a run by T J Shepperson, solicitor.

Property Direct at www.propertydirect-online.com is a service from Shoosmiths, solicitors.

Wills

Wills.co.uk at www.wills.co.uk is a service from Foreman Laws, solicitors.

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