The Bar Standards Board launched its Digital Comparison Tool (DCT) pilot in Autumn 2022 which will enable the public to submit ratings and reviews of barristers.
The pilot comes inresponse to a study by the Competitions and Markets Authority which found that the legal sector market wasn’t working for consumers, particularly when it came to supplying information on pricing, quality and service.The study also revealed that price variations between firms for similar services varied wildly.
DCT’s are seen by the regulator as being a large part of the solution to the criticisms the study raised. Whilst the legal sector generally has become familiar with comparison sites like, Conveyancing Supermarket and Law Bid, none have specificallyserved the bar. A similar pilot was launched by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, CILEX Regulation and the Council for License Conveyers in 2021, however the results of this pilot have not yet been published.
The sites participating in the pilot scheme (which runs until September 2023) are Trustpilot; Review Solicitors; Lawyer 365; Legal Utopia and The Law Superstore. These sites will allow potential clients to find and choose barristers based on certain criteria, such as location, pricing, service quality as well as reviews and ratings.
Barristers are being encouraged to sign up to at least one of the participating sites, encourage clients to leave reviews, and where possible engage with those reviews. They will also be asked to provide feedback on their experience of working with the organisations taking part in the pilot scheme by answers questions at the start and end of the pilot.
The board hopes that the pilot will help them understand whether and how DCT’s can help them achieve their objectives of:
- Promoting and protecting the public interest
- Improving access to justice
- Promoting competition in the provision of services
- Protecting and promoting the interests of consumers
The pilot is initially focusing on employment law, but public access and referral barristers who specialise in other areas of the law can sign up as well.
The participating organisations have signed up for a voluntary code of conduct that includes a clear complaints procedure and a 7-day timeframe for barristers to respond to reviews.
How will this pilot affect barristers?
The use of technology and innovation can bring benefits for both consumers and barristers. It’s an opportunity for the consumers to make a better-informed decision on the legal service provider they need at a time that can be very difficult for them emotionally.
For Barristers and Barristers Chambers, it is an opportunity to market themselves as well as receive feedback from clients which can lead to an improvement in the level of service provided.
One of the pilot participators, Trustpilot, receives 12 million unique visitors a month. While not all those visitors will be requiring legal services, it is a window of opportunity to market yourself to those that do. DCT offers an opportunity to build your reputation as a barrister as well as your trustworthiness to potential consumers which in turn could lead to increased instructions.
If you’d like to talk to us in confidence about how we can support you individually to elevate your profile, or work with your chambers to provide strategic marketing support, please contact Natalie Rodgers on 0114 4070159 / 07881 780608 / office@scala.uk.com.
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