How legal support gives your members genuine value

With legal advice being both hard to come by and expensive, offering access to such support can be a compelling part of a membership offering for both new and existing members.

For many small businesses, navigating legal issues is one of the biggest challenges they face. With employment legislation, IR35, GDPR and a myriad of other laws to comply with – and the spectre of constant updates – small firms simply cannot afford to get caught out. Yet lawyers are notoriously expensive and difficult to find, and the prospect of an in-house legal team can be a distant one.

Access to legal support

This is one area where membership organisations can add real, tangible value. By partnering with us, it’s possible to offer members access to legal support for no more than the cost of the membership itself. It’s a compelling proposition that plays a significant role in helping to attract and retain members.

“For small businesses, a major advantage other than the cost is that they don’t have to go out and research whether a lawyer has experience of property disputes, employment law or contract issues, because we have that range of experience and knowledge,” says Paul Bateman, our head of partnerships account management.

Through Markel, organisations get free access to 32 qualified solicitors, who all have a minimum of seven years’ employment law experience, through our business and legal helpline, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“When people call the helpline, they’re just giving a brief outline of what the problem is,” says Bateman. “They will then be put in touch with the right expert. It gives business owners the confidence of knowing they’re dealing with a reputable Solicitors Regulation Authority organisation with fully qualified lawyers who are constantly updating their knowledge.”

Recently, through such an arrangement, we’ve helped a London-based market research agency that needed to increase headcount on a short-term basis with advice around the use of contractors and temporary staff. We also assisted a Newcastle-based estate agent which needed to go through a redundancy process, ensuring it was protected from the risk of unfair dismissal claims.

It’s not just small firms that stand to benefit, either, says Bateman. “We have one organisation that deals specifically with members that have more than 500 employees,” he says. “They often know what they should be doing but want to make sure they’re completely up to date with the law.”

Helping across multiple areas of business

Alongside the legal helpline, there’s our online business hub, which gives organisations access to a wide range of templates and legal documents which can help them comply with the law and demonstrate this to clients or partners.

“If you don’t have any in house capability and you’re trying to draft documentation by yourself, the chances are you’ll miss something,” says Charles Coburn, our head of partnerships development. “Ours already exist and have been drafted by a solicitor.” Documents are updated regularly to take any changes into account, and they can be found in the ‘What’s changed’ section of the hub.

We also provide organisations with access to toolkits, where they can download relevant documents associated with a particular activity, such as recruiting people or health and safety. “It means people don’t have to search the site for different pieces of information,” says Bateman. “The helpline can also direct people to the relevant resources,” he adds.

New legislation and ongoing challenges

People often need help around new areas, such as Covid-19, Brexit or GDPR, or areas that often change. “At the moment, there’s a lot of focus on the prospect of employment rights from day zero,” says Bateman. This is a particular concern for organisations that make use of seasonal labour, or that have peaks and troughs in demand.

An ongoing challenge for many trades is debt recovery, where sole traders or small businesses struggle to get money that is owed to them. “We often find that members haven’t been doing things correctly from day one, such as failing to have contracts in place,” says Coburn. “We can provide access to templated documents designed to encourage debtors to pay,” he adds, “But also contracts and processes to use in the future.”

From a cost perspective, making use of such services can be hugely beneficial. “Having access to a legal firm with this range of services in the first place is hard to value,” says Bateman. “But just making a call to a lawyer is around £50 and then it’s around £200 an hour on average for legal representation.

“To create the simplest document on the site would be £350 and the full-blown employment contracts would be £1000s. You’ve only got to use the helpline once or twice a year and download one or two documents to recoup the full value of membership.”

Membership organisations, though, need to make sure they promote such benefits effectively, and that members appreciate the value they are getting. “That comes down to education about the fact that it can be difficult and expensive to get legal advice,” says Bateman. “We make it easy to access and affordable. It means members don’t have to worry.”

Support helplines are key member benefits offered by many member organisations. To find out more about how we can help your organisation offer benefits that your members value, and communicate this effectively, visit the Partnerships pages or contact Charles Coburn