As law firms edge ever closer to the time when they will lose their monopoly on the provision of legal services, they are finally putting their heads above the parapet and revealing their survival strategies.

Up to now many have been reluctant to show their hands, fearing that their innovations might fail or that their rivals will copy them.

The latest lawyer to tread boldly into the brave new legal world is Guy Barnett, the managing partner at Midlands firm Blakemores.

This week he told the Gazette about the launch of his new national law firm franchise, Lawyers2you, which will expand the model that Blakemores has used since January 2010.

It is similar to the model used by QualitySolicitors, but as Barnett points out, ‘we did it first’.

Lawyers2you places marketing stands in high footfall locations, such as shopping centres, to provide consumers with easy access to legal advice.

The stands are manned by paralegals who direct people to information brochures or a call centre to help with the legal issues. If a solicitor is required, clients are put in contact with the local franchise member.

Like the strategy used by QualitySolicitors, which has started to place marketing stands in branches of WHSmith, Lawyers2you takes the law to where potential consumers are likely to be, rather than waiting for clients to walk through the doors of a law firm.

It is this focus on the consumer that is seen as the key to survival. Making the law more accessible for clients is central to Barnett’s mission.

Importantly for a successful franchise operation, his view is shared by the managing director of Kiteleys, the first firm taking part in a trial of the franchise arrangement.

Mark Kiteley says: ‘For us it’s all about reaching out to clients and making it as easy as possible for them to speak to a solicitor.’

This focus seems to underpin the criteria on which Barnett will select member firms, with the ethos not just about surviving and making money, but also about providing a public service.

To be considered for membership, firms must do legal aid work. ‘We are committed to the access to justice campaign,’ says Barnett. Indeed, he says, his best performing stand, which provides 10 to 15 leads a day, provides only free legal advice to 70% of clients, without it turning into paid for work.

Barnett’s approach seems more cautious than that of QualitySolicitors. He is trialling the new arrangements with five firms before launching it nationally in January 2012.

The new franchise, which will be launched officially at the 360 Legal Group’s conference next week, will not be accompanied by the huge media campaign that QualitySolicitors has embarked on.

However, Barnett does have big plans for his franchise. As soon as the rules permit, he hopes to secure investment to take his model not just throughout the UK, but to Europe and America, which should help ingrain his brand in the public consciousness.

QualitySolicitors founder Craig Holt often draws the analogy between the legal services market and opticians – while there used to be small opticians in each town, there are now three big brands that the public tend to go to.

Perhaps, with QualitySolicitors, Gary Yantin’s HighStreetLawyer.com and now Lawyers2 you, we are seeing that trend working out.