Since converting to an alternative business structure earlier this year, the Co-operative Group has been busy expanding its legal offering.
Following announcements that it plans to launch five new regional centres across England and Wales; that it wants to offer legal services across all of its 330 high street outlets; and that it aims to create 3,000 new jobs in its legal services arm, so that it becomes “the largest consumer law business in the country”, the Co-operative Group is now set to pilot virtual law firms within some of its bank branches.
It will trial the use of video calling in 30 of its bank branches, giving its customers the option of consulting its London and Bristol-based legal teams.
And the expansion doesn’t end there.
Co-operative Legal Services, a subsidiary of the Co-operative Group, has also launched a fixed-fee family law service, which will offer consumers legal advice on divorce, child protection and financial issues over the telephone and face-to-face in Paddington, west London. This is expected to expand to other parts of the country in due course.