This report considers the UK B2B legal services market and explores some of the issues that are likely to impact on the market in the next few years. Of particular interest are: an assessment of how B2B clients use legal services and how they procure these services; what specific areas do they need legal advice on; the extent to which B2B users would be willing to use new non-traditional sources of legal advice; the role of legal brands and other brands; market opportunities for new forms of delivery such as online legal services and one-stop shops for professional services; preferences for specific pricing models; and an assessment of the potential changes likely in the market.

Some of the core B2B areas for legal advice include:

  • Employment law
  • Business contracts/business policies
  • Business formation/start-ups
  • Commercial property
  • M&A activity
  • Health and safety issues
  • Taxes, pensions and other financial issues
  • Litigation and dispute resolution
  • Debt and insolvency
  • Overseas trade, investment
  • Intellectual property (IP) and trademarks
  • Injuries at work, industrial diseases.

For this report, YouGov SixthSense commissioned a survey of 580 UK business executives in June 2011. Over 20 questions were asked in total, covering the following topics:

  • Frequency of dealing with legal issues in the business that need legal advice
  • Sources to find legal advice (e.g. in house, law firms/solicitors, external legal helplines etc.)
  • Use of law firms and solicitors, frequency of use
  • Use of more than law firm or solicitor for B2B legal advice
  • Reasons for needing legal advice (e.g. employment law, business contracts, health and safety, M&A activity etc.)
  • Procurement process for purchasing legal services
  • Important criteria to consider when choosing a legal representative
  • Satisfaction levels with legal services provided
  • Interest in using alternative sources for legal advice, e.g. accountants
  • Likely use of remote and online legal services and support
  • Perceptions of major financial services brands extending into legal services
  • Perceptions of major consumer brands extending into legal services
  • Potential use of law firms and solicitors for other professional services and use of one-stop shops for professional services
  • Fees and pricing models preferred
  • Methods of choosing legal services for a personal legal issue
  • Awareness and understanding of legal and regulatory issues affecting the business.

To download a full table of contents for this report, please click here.