Won't it be a race to the bottom in terms of pricing?

No. Oratto is not about providing consumers with the cheapest legal options, but rather the best, and most suitable legal services for their specific needs and requirements. It is designed so that consumers can find the right legal practitioner based on a variety of factors including area of expertise, location, and experience. Research repeatedly shows that the price of legal services is the least important factor for the majority of consumers when selecting legal services; and it is becoming less important year on year.* Currently, Oratto does not allow consumers to filter results according to price.

How good will the quality of leads be?

Oratto is not solely focused on matching consumers with the right lawyer; it's also about matching lawyers with the cases that are right for them. Oratto's Initial Contact Centre will screen enquiries to ensure lawyers aren't served with poor quality cases. Depending on the agreement selected, referral fees won't need to be paid to Oratto until the end of the case with regards to the 10% fee-sharing agreement, or seven days after the month in which the case is accepted with regards to the fixed fee agreement.

How do the referral fees work?

When a law firm signs up to Oratto, they will have two options: a fixed fee agreement or a 10% fee-sharing agreement. Find out more about signing up here.

Will it be worth the money?

Oratto has no subscription fees. Lawyers will pay once they start receiving good quality referrals on a case-by-case basis.

Won't platforms like Oratto put bricks-and-mortar law firms out of business?

Oratto is using technology to bolster the legal industry, not to replace legal professionals. The platform has been created in order to channel the right cases to the right lawyers; streamlining the process of consumers obtaining legal services and improving efficiency.

How does Oratto differ from a legal directory?

Oratto is very different to a legal directory. Oratto provides consumers with a wealth of information on a wide range of legal matters through its Wiki. Profiles of member lawyers are displayed alongside this information so consumers can choose from a range of expert practitioners in the field of law they have been researching. A bespoke algorithm, specially created for the platform, provides member lawyers with an Oratto rating to show their skill in their particular field and how up-to-date and comprehensive their information is. Users can find legal representatives according to a variety of factors and use the detailed lawyer profiles to select the most suitable option for them.

Is there any reputational risk?

Oratto's members include lawyers from across the board; including highly reputable firms and specialist sole practitioners. The Oratto Membership Code must be adhered to by all member lawyers to ensure the platform's credibility is upheld. Eventually, Oratto will limit the number of lawyers to whom we grant membership so as to preserve the quality of the services we are able to provide and maintain a healthy flow of quality referrals to our members. Plus, any lawyer who does not uphold the membership code will be removed from the site.

Will the site contain consumer reviews?

Oratto is currently developing a functionality through which consumers can review the services they have received from lawyers. These will be moderated to ensure legitimacy.

Is Oratto a comparison site?

Oratto operates in a very similar way to comparison websites. Consumers are able to compile a shortlist of lawyers and compare them side by side in order to establish whose professional attributes are best suited to them.

Will Oratto allow lawyers to display fixed-price legal services?

Yes – a functionality that allows members to display fixed prices for services such as wills, probate, conveyancing, employment law and commercial contracts is currently in development.

*According to an LSCP survey reported in Legal Futures