BT Law - Telecoms Services and Legal Advice all in one

From the Solicitors Journal 04/03/13:

BT aims to turn legal services unit from internal cost centre to profit centre as it starts pitching for external business.

Nice idea. Assuming you’ve got some clients who want to pay. ;-)

BT will start offering legal services to corporate customers through its new BT Law Ltd business, which the SRA authorised today as an alternative business structure.

BT Law will incorporate BT Claims, a motor claims management service provided to other companies within the BT group such as BT Fleet, which looks after the group’s 35,000 vehicles.

The intention, [...] is for the service – currently run as a cost centre – to become a profit centre. "BT Law is already working on its first tender for new business[.]"

BT Law will be offered to BT’s existing BT Fleet clients, including The AA, G4S, and Network Rail.

The service will include “an in-house end-to-end motor claims solution for businesses, from incident notification, through investigation and resolution”, BT said in a statement.

In addition, BT Law will offer litigation services provided by an in-house team headed by solicitor and BT group’s head of litigation and employment Miles Jobling.

Jobling, who will become director of BT Law, will supervise a team on 105 staff, including solicitors, legal executives, paralegals, and claims managers.

He said the ABS licence would give BT Law “the perfect platform” to develop the business’s experience and credibility, including the provision of legal services in relation to public liability and employment.

Ah, BT - “it’s good to talk”*. Particularly when you have lawyers charging by the hour!

Subscription TV and now legal services, eh? Talk about diversifying. While BT Law’s services are only being pitched at corporate clients to begin with, this might just be one stop shy of consumers calling into mobile phone shops for legal advice. Is this the concept of ‘Tesco law’ reaching a new low?

As I’m in the mood to digress, I think the new range of BT ads are a huge improvement over the previous era of vacuous monotony (you know, that rather unconvincing story of that bit part actress from spooks and Nick from My Family having a sprog together).  Nobody believed it and nobody cared. 

The collegiate escapades of Simon, Anna (the hot brunette flatmate) and co are a welcome breath of fresh air. Particularly Anna.

Long may it continue.

Where the magic happens

Anna’s Hot Spot

How very modern

^{*Remember this was their strapline during the Bob Hoskins 1990s era of ads. Not quite as inspired as the 1980’s “It’s you we answer to”.}