Small Business Framework - Research - The Legal Services Board

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organisations"are"often"used"to"obtain"specialist"services"that"cannot"be"sourced" from"within"a"business,"and"are"often"needed"in"innovation"(Johnson"et"al."2007)." Use" of" specialist" services" has" also" been" associated" with" successful" growth" (Bryson"et"al."1997;"Johnson"et"al."2007)."" Apart" from" specialist" consultants" involved" in" training" and" innovation," accountants" and" solicitors" provide" the" majority" of" external," formal" advice" to" assist"SMEs"(Bennett"and"Robson"1999;"Blackburn"et"al.,"2010)."This"is"often"a" consequence" of" the" need" to" meet" technical," audit" and" legal" requirements" by" SMEs,"tasks"they"cannot"fulfil"alone"due"to"the"necessary"expertise"required."" The"use"of"advice,"including"legal"services,"by"SMEs"varies"by"sector,"due" to"the"varying"nature"of"business"activities."Bennett"and"Robson"(2001)"suggest" that"the"sectors"most"associated"with"use"of"advice"are"publishing,"mining,"food" manufacture,"and"chemicals/rubber/minerals"manufacture."At"the"other"end"of" the" spectrum" are" textile" and" apparel" manufacture," furniture" and" transport" equipment." Bennett"and"Robson"(2001)"argue"that"firms"influenced"by"environmental" issues" are" subject" to" organisational" change" and" innovation," which" require" additional" external" assistance," to" manage" the" instability" created" by" change." In" comparison,"more"‘traditional’,"less"innovative"sectors"undergo"less"change"and" require" fewer" formal" sources" of" advice," with" the" exception" of" routine" professional"advice." The"attitudes"and"satisfaction"of"owner"managers"towards"external"advice" is"mixed.""For"example,"while"Burke"and"Jarratt"(2004)"suggest"that"accountants" are"broadly"viewed"as"competent"suppliers"of"advice"for"compliance,"they"are"not" viewed"as"being"adept"in"understanding"the"problems"of"individual"businesses," or" assisting" them" in" strategic" issues." Similarly," solicitors" are" viewed" as" agents" that" deal" solely" with" legal" issues," when" they" arise." Although" this" implies" that" these" professionals" are" used" only" for" technical" matters," Leung" et" al." (2008)" report" from" their" Australian" study" that" while" accountants" are" the" most" commonly" used" source" of" advice," lawyers" and" solicitors" are" ranked" higher" in" terms"of"the"satisfaction"received"from"their"services.""Thus,"although"many"SMEs" are" reluctant" to" seek," and" pay" for," formal" advice," what" limited" evidence" is" available"suggests"that"solicitors"are"viewed"as"useful"external"advisors.! " Range!of!Legal!Services! A"broad"range"of"legal"advice,"representation"and"support"services"is"available"to" small" businesses." The" most" obvious" type" of" law" related" service" provider" is" the" solicitors’"firm,"of"which"there"are"more"than"10,000"in"England"and"Wales"(Law" Society"2011),"providing"services"across"a"wide"range"of"business"related"areas" (Table" 4.1)" (Law" Society" 2010)." Not" all" solicitors," of" course," work" within" law" firms,"with"around"a"quarter"of"solicitors"holding"practice"certificates"employed" in" other" sectors." For" example," more" than" 10,000" solicitors" are" employed" in" around"3,500"private"sector"businesses"(albeit"in"larger"businesses,"when"acting" ! 20!
as"in]house"lawyers)."The"majority"of"these"businesses"employ"just"one"solicitor" (55%),"but"5%"employ"more"than"10"and"0.1%"more"than"100"(Legal"Services" Board"2010)." " Table'4.1.'Number'of'solicitors'undertaking'work'in'business'related'categories' Area!of!Work! ! Solicitors! ! Agricultural!law! 3,814" 3.3" Aviation! 528" 0.4" Banking! 5,410" 4.7" Business!affairs! 20,696" 17.9" Commercial!litigation! 16,681" 14.4" Commercial!property! 20,176" 17.5" Computer!and!IT!law! 3,890" 3.3" Construction/civil!engineering! 2,705" 2.3" Corporate!finance! 8,327" 7.2" Employment! 12,591" 10.9" Energy!and!natural!resources! 1,727" 1.5" Environment!law! 2,351" 2.0" Financial!and!investment!services! 4,063" 3.5" Insolvency!and!bankruptcy! 3,591" 3.1" Insurance! 4,094" 3.5" Intellectual!property! 6,570" 5.7" Liquor!licensing/gambling! 3,196" 2.8" Maritime/shipping/admiralty! 1,151" 1.0" Media/entertainment!law! 2,440" 2.1" Mediation!–!civil/commercial! 1,965" 1.7" Mergers!and!acquisitions! 7,713" 6.7" Planning!law! 2,477" 2.1" Professional!negligence! 3,561" 3.1" Taxation! 4,550" 3.9" Transport!–!road!and!rail! 1,089" 0.9" Travel!and!tourism! 316" 0.3" %!with!practicing! certificates! " " While" solicitors’" firms" are" the" most" obvious" type" of" law" related" service" provider," it" is" accountants" that" form" the" largest" group" of" law" related" service" providers"to"small"businesses."There"are"now"more"than"275,000"professionally" qualified"accountants"in"the"United"Kingdom"(Financial"Reporting"Council"2008)," dwarfing"the"number"of"solicitors."Crucially,"from"a"small"business"perspective," and"as"is"detailed"further"below,"accountants"are"also"the"main"source"of"external" professional" support" to" small" businesses." Thus," they" play" a" particularly" important"role,"not"just"in"the"delivery"of"legal"services"(as"accountancy"issues" are"fundamentally"legal"in"nature 6 ),"but"also"in"guiding"small"businesses"to"other" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 6"Indeed," the" Association" of" Chartered" Certified" Accountants" is" an" approved" regulator," under" the" Legal" Services"Board,"of"reserved"probate"activities"within"the"accountancy"profession." ! 21!
Page 2 and 3: ! ! ! ! ! ! ! A"FRAMEWORK"FOR"BENCH
Page 4 and 5: ! TABLE!OF!CONTENTS! Section! Page"
Page 6 and 7: then," such" surveys" have" been" u
Page 8 and 9: or" transnational" bodies," such" a
Page 10 and 11: ''''''''Figure'2.3:'British'governm
Page 12 and 13: " " 3" The"Justiciable"Issues"Small
Page 14 and 15: copyright" and" patents." " There"
Page 16 and 17: (e.g."through"inability"to"pay"for"
Page 18 and 19: made"up"almost"two]thirds"of"all"re
Page 20 and 21: employees"and"grow"their"business"t
Page 22 and 23: larger"financial"companies,"a"signi
Page 26 and 27: legal"services"when"there"is"a"need
Page 28 and 29: generally" comprised" ‘talking" t
Page 30 and 31: " " 5" Methodological"Consideration
Page 32 and 33: Qualitative'interviews'with'small'b
Page 34 and 35: As" indicated," there" is" potentia
Page 36 and 37: surveys"is"therefore"relatively"str
Page 38 and 39: These" variables" are" comparable"
Page 40 and 41: of"500"is"split"into"350"in"small"b
Page 42 and 43: for"a"specific"key"statistic"(e.g."
Page 44 and 45: A"finite"population"correction"is"a
Page 46 and 47: conducting"them"and"the"travel"requ
Page 48 and 49: of"the"Dun"&"Bradstreet"business"da
Page 50 and 51: Table'5.3.' Broad'comparison'of'the
Page 52 and 53: Mode'of'Delivery:'Conclusions'and'R
Page 54 and 55: interview" multiple" respondents" t
Page 56 and 57: studies"may"offer"advantages"in"min
Page 58 and 59: " 6" " " Developing"a"Questionnaire
Page 60 and 61: Pilot" work" could" usefully" focus
Page 62 and 63: The" long]form" questionnaire" then
Page 64 and 65: " Some" legal" services" identified
Page 66 and 67: The" S" module" collects" informati
Page 68 and 69: Rental"agreement" Payment"of"rent"
Page 70 and 71: Table'6.4.'Oxera'framework'Level'1'
Page 72 and 73: ! 68! rights! " Trademarks" " Copyr
Page 74 and 75:
" " Summary"and"Recommendations" 7"
Page 76 and 77:
financial"year."This"represents"an"
Page 78 and 79:
problematic."For"example,"2.9"milli
Page 80 and 81:
sector." However," small" businesse
Page 82 and 83:
" 8" " " References" " " AIA" Resea
Page 84 and 85:
Utrecht'Law'Review,'8(1),"51]77." C
Page 86 and 87:
Collis,"J."(2011)"Small"company"abb
Page 88 and 89:
Roberts,"C."(2007)"Mixing"Modes"of"
Page 90 and 91:
Do"you"have"a"good"knowledge"of"the
Page 92 and 93:
! In"which"areas"did"a"service"you"
Page 94 and 95:
9. Late"or"non]payment"" 10. Disagr
Page 96 and 97:
! "At"any"stage"since"[12"months]"h
Page 98 and 99:
" MULTICODE" ! 29! And"again"thinki
Page 100 and 101:
" 37! And" when" you" got" help," w
Page 102 and 103:
1. Completely"in"your"favour" 2. Mo
Page 104 and 105:
51! [If!Q4!NOT!1]! ! Is"your"busine
Page 106 and 107:
3. Neither"agree"nor"disagree" 4. D
Page 108 and 109:
interview" containing" only" those"
Page 110 and 111:
O!Module:"Outline!of!business!chara
Page 112 and 113:
! O12! And"excluding"owners"and"par
Page 114 and 115:
12.""Environmental"" 13.""Business"
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12. HR/Employment"service"(includes
Page 118 and 119:
R2b! [For!each!of!‘2e’,!‘3c
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7. Internet"(excluding"email)" ! R8
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R18! (R8"SHOWCARD)" " And"which"ONE
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Are"there"any"websites"or"online"se
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Unfair!operation!of!a!public!tender
Page 128 and 129:
! 124! L Client/customer"illness"(e
Page 130 and 131:
! 126! L Patents" L Disclosure"of"t
Page 132 and 133:
L Advertising"standards" " ! ! " ST
Page 134 and 135:
P12! "Which," if" any," of" the" de
Page 136 and 137:
And"did"your"business"unsuccessfull
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" P22! [If!P21=11]! " Can"you"brief
Page 140 and 141:
P33! [If!P2>2]!! ! ! And" thinking"
Page 142 and 143:
" What"did"you/your"business"hope"t
Page 144 and 145:
MULTICODE" " Information/advice! 1.
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9." Issue"legal"proceedings"" 10."
Page 148 and 149:
A13! What" would" you" say" was" th
Page 150 and 151:
" In"total,"how"much"time"did"you"s
Page 152 and 153:
" Did"your"business"ask"for"this"he
Page 154 and 155:
" No" " Don’t"know" " H4! [If!H3=
Page 156 and 157:
1. Did"not"need"legal"help" 2. Prob
Page 158 and 159:
! D!Module:"Detailed!characteristic
Page 160 and 161:
D15! [If!D14=No]! ! Does"your"busin
Page 162 and 163:
! I’m"now"going"to"read"out"a"few
Page 164 and 165:
! D37! [If!O1=No]! ! Can"I"ask"whet
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