NEWS ANALYSIS: Gazing into the industry crystal ball
This article appeared in PR week on 10 January 2008
GUS SELLITTO, director, The Byfield Consultancy
The legal sector will become a whole lot more interesting to the PR world in 2008, thanks to the Legal Services Act, which received Royal Assent in October.
Dubbed Tesco Law because it will eventually allow supermarkets to sell legal services, the Act will allow law firms to create alternative business structures (for example, lawyers and public affairs practitioners working together on an equal footing as company directors), invite outside investment and float on the stock market.
As the market becomes more crowded and diverse, the PR challenges will become greater. There will be an increased need for good legal PR specialists and additional sector-specific PR skills to deal with market opportunities and threats as they develop - such as consumer, IR and public affairs.
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