Law firm Shoosmiths has announced that its residential conveyancing practice will now operate as Swiitch.
The rebrand follows Shoosmiths’ introduction of a ‘house of brands’ strategy, which involves refreshing the Shoosmiths brand and introducing two new brands, including Swiitch.
The 110-strong conveyancing team operates nationally from its bases in Northampton, Milton Keynes, Manchester, and Solent. Shoosmiths LLP serves UK and international clients from offices across the UK, and Brussels in Belgium.
Suman Dally, partner and head of conveyancing at Shoosmiths, described the move as “doubling down on the human, personal aspect of conveyancing, but with the technology and expertise to help home buyers and sellers navigate even the most complex residential transactions”.
She continued: “Our new identity gives us the right platform to continue providing a best-in-class service to our clients and agent partners, but with the tools and technology to deliver the process change that is needed to overcome the hurdles facing the conveyancing industry.
“With Swiitch, we’re focused on keeping things simple and transactions moving, from an offer being accepted, to dreams of picking up the keys on completion day. Our commitment, as it always has been, is to helping clients navigate one of life’s most important events.”
What a bizarre decision, especially after dropping the previous rebrands (remember Property Direct and Access Legal?)
Its not customer friendly; its not easy to spell; will give rise to lots of itching jokes, and saddest of all, is not tapping into the powerful Shoosmiths brand, that many associate with quality Conveyancing.. perhaps a spin off is planned away from the partnership?
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Many years ago when I worked for Shoosmiths and Harrison as they were then, they were a proper firm with a good name and an interest in providing all branches of legal work for their clients.
I guess this rebrand is the sad, logical conclusion to their race to the bottom of the conveyancing market. The old respected name is gone replaced by a one word brand that places them firmly in the low end of the market competing with the other cheaply named one word factories and outsourcing bucket shops who continue to bring conveyancing into disrepute, and embarrass our once respected profession. One wonders whether the undoubted cost of employing a Company to advise on the rebrand would have been far better spent on staff training and improved service? It is yet another dark day for conveyancing and, as usual unconsidered by the non-conveyancers making these decisions and counting their money, the people that will suffer most will be the clients pushed in their direction. The Shoosmiths I worked for had far more respect for them.
When I was there the senior partner was a man called John Thorpe, a hugely respected person who oversaw a professional firm expanding for the right reasons. I wonder how he would feel right now to see how low his firm has fallen?
So who will be next to adopt a snappy name which reflects not identity and focus, but a willingness to sell the family silver to pile those files ever higher in the race to sell out principles and reputation?
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