Associate editor Caroline Hill reports… Top 150 law firm Stephensons Solicitors has launched an app for its client membership scheme Constant, which provides members with a 24 hour helpline, legal guides and videos, 30 minutes of free advice and additional legal support to help clients on their “life journey”. The Constant app (for the Androad & iOS platform) which was formally unveiled on Friday 20 February, was created by Manchester app developers Desap and promises “to provide even faster support to members, wherever they happen to be.”
Stephensons chairwoman, Ann Harrison said: “Our philosophy at Stephensons is to work alongside our clients to get the best results, and the Constant app is another step in our plan to provide a service that really works for them, as and when they need it. Our clients are important to us and we see Constant as a support to them throughout their life, so that whenever the unexpected happens, they have the security of knowing they can access initial legal advice at the touch of a finger, or at the end of the phone, any day of the year, night or day.”
Constant, which is free to join, also provides clients with access to a network of counsellors, advice on managing the media, refer-a-friend rewards and certain discounts. The firm has its own client portal where clients can access Constant. Clients can download the App by searching ‘Constant App’ on Google Play and the iTunes App Store
Stephensons has an annual turnover of around £18m and 420 staff based in ten offices across the UK, including Manchester, London, Wigan and Bolton. Another recent innovation saw the 35-partner firm named in October as one of a handful of firms working with Rocket Lawyer in its new ‘Ask a Lawyer’ service, which enables customers to submit questions to a network of solicitors for a reduced fee. However, a spokesperson for Stephensons confirmed that its arrangement with Rocket Lawyer has come to an end.
While law firm apps are still not common, success stories include Mills & Reeve’s 2012-released Divorce UK iPhone/iPad app, which builds on its divorce website www.divorce.co.uk The app, which is free, provides simple question and answer pages, frequently answered questions and videos and easy-to-understand guidance on divorce procedure and cost. It was rated by the Sunday Times at the time of its release as a cost effective solution for those considering the implications of divorce.