News focus: Whatever happened to QualitySolicitors?

Readers may remember the Law Society fire in February 2020 which destroyed the Gazette office and everything in it.

Among the casualties was a can of baked beans dating back to around 2011, which was wrapped with the branding of QualitySolicitors.

It felt symbolic at the time. QS was launched in a blaze of publicity with the basic premise of putting its name on everything. Some years later, the beans were (well) cooked and the business appeared to have gone with it.

Except that was not the case. QS had gone quiet but not disappeared, being operated at the time by the Simplify Group and retaining a smaller but loyal band of firms. And around the time of the fire, the business was being eyed up by consolidator Metamorph Group, ahead of an acquisition in June 2021. It was a deal that surprised some but made sense for the buyer, according to Metamorph executive chairman Tony Stockdale.

‘We had been talking to Simplify for some time,’ said Stockdale. ‘It has been well documented that QS has had, I would not say a chequered history, but an interesting one. But the underlying business and quality of the 37 members is really strong.

‘There is quite a number of independent quality legal practices which are part of QS who really value the support they get. That is what made it interesting for us. We looked beyond the [previous] position and found a very good strong situation – there was nothing we did not like the look of.’

The current iteration of QS is a far cry from its early days, when the emphasis was on converting all member firms to the brand. As well as tins of beans, the marketing push was unlike anything seen in the legal profession before – talent show judge Amanda Holden was recruited as a cheerleader and even endorsed the brand during an appearance on ITV’s This Morning. QS linked up with WH Smith and intended to have a presence on every major high street in the country. Hundreds of firms, sensing a chance to grab marketing and back-office support they could never fund themselves, paid to join the brand and convert themselves into QS practices. It was a business synonymous with the ‘Tesco Law’ phenomenon of the early 2010s, as the legal market liberalised and big names supposedly rushed to sell legal services.

'There is quite a number of independent quality legal practices which are part of QS who really value the support they get. That is what made it interesting for us'

Tony Stockdale, Metamorph

While the market has undoubtedly changed – and many big names (but not Tesco) did enter the market – QS was not the game-changer it proclaimed to be. Firms grew disillusioned with the homogeneous nature of the business and profits never materialised. The founding members left and took with them much of the zeal and bravado that had marked its early years – and which had alienated much of the rest of the profession.

The new QS is a more sober version of that nascent being. Stockdale explained: ‘[Simplify] did a really good job of moving it into more of a network and frankly less brash. We want it to be known for not necessarily being disruptive but having within it a number of people who are thought-leaders in their particular area. If we get that I don’t think that is necessarily being a disrupter – that is an organisation recognised within the profession as being a good quality outfit with good quality members.’

Members now benefit from a range of support functions, paying a fee based on the size of the business, but crucially are not obliged to hand over their brand entirely.

David Pope, operations and marketing director, added: ‘What we have learnt over time is that being part of QS is all about the range of benefits and revenue streams and you don’t need to be branded for that. [Unbranded firms] still receive the referrals and support from the head office – essentially it is showing we can help all kinds of law firms and solicitors [and] they don’t have to be pink and black. It is very clear to see from visitor numbers that QS had a huge consumer offering and a trusted brand for people to come in and enquire about legal services.’

The celebrity endorsements may have gone, along with the last tin of beans, but the business lives on. The ambitions are notably more modest – Stockdale aims to double the membership within the next three years – and the owners remain convinced there is a business opportunity for a network of law firms paying to receive enquiries and referrals. They probably won’t shout about it though.