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Alternative business structures may well herald the demise of hourly billing as legal practice becomes even more competitive, the Master of the Rolls has predicted. Contingency fees and price comparision websites will also play a role.

Among the many trials of being a managing partner in a smaller practice nowadays must be phone calls from new web services promising a stream of hot leads from willing clients. All you need to do is part with a measly few hundred quid for some kind of listing and then sit back while the work rolls in. The reality is, of course, somewhat different in some cases.

The challenge for legal price comparison sites is to reconcile the public’s desire for an instant quote and fixed fees “with the reality that many areas of law are complex, lengthy, unpredictable, and, as such, cannot be achieved on a fixed-fee basis”, a Law Society report has concluded.

Solicitors and barristers are being targeted to join a new comparison website that claims to be the “new generation” of legal referral businesses by requiring participating law firms and barristers to offer fixed-fee services. CompareLegalCosts.com has also moved away from the referral fee model.

The great majority of consumers who have used legal services are satisfied with the outcome, although many do not feel they received good value for money, a survey has found. Worryingly for lawyers likely to face competition from trusted brands after October, however, it suggested significant public distrust of lawyers.