A new website that provides a forum where law firms can bid for legal work launched last week.

The site, bid4fees.com, provides an online platform for prospective clients to confidentially list their legal problems and find a lawyer to advise them.

Lawyers registered with the site will be able to see the advice requests posted, and ­correspond with the potential clients via a messaging system to learn more about their case.

If a lawyer decides a case is appropriate for them to help, they can bid to represent the client, informing them of their fee. The client then selects the lawyer they want to instruct.

Lawyers must submit a fixed-fee bid rather than an hourly rate. The client is free to choose any bid submitted, not necessarily the lowest.

Bid4fees director Lauren Bradley said: ‘It is neither an auction site nor a comparison site. It’s a neutral online venue that [creates] a much broader market place for lawyers and clients.’

There is no charge for clients or solicitors to register, but lawyers who get instructed pay 10% of their fee to the site.