Most consumers could not tell a good lawyer from a bad one, according to Ministry of Justice research published this week.

A study to gauge public attitudes ahead of the full implementation of the Legal Services Act found that one-third of respondents (34%) had used legal services in the past three years. Generally they were content: 91% felt they received a good service, but 25% said the work took ‘too long’ and 13% said they had not had ‘good value for money’. While 10% of respondents had experienced a problem with a legal service, only 2% had made a formal complaint and 55% were unsure how to complain.

However, 83% of the 939 respondents agreed with the statement ‘most people wouldn’t know how to tell a good provider of legal services from a bad one’.

When choosing a provider, most consumers relied on recommendations, past experience and referrals.

The researchers said their findings indicate that there is scope for further competition in the legal services market, but the lack of people who shop around suggests new entrants could find it difficult to establish a foothold.