Co-op hires 3,000 to expand legal service
THE CO-Operative Group will hire 3,000 people to grow its legal arm, it said yesterday, as the firm continues its push to become the UK’s biggest provider of consumer legal services over the next decade.
The Co-op was the first non-law firm to be licensed to sell legal services in the UK, after its application to become an alternative business structure (ABS) was approved by regulators at the end of March.
It said yesterday that 90 per cent of the new roles would be legal staff, with the rest going to support roles.
“Over the next five years we want to fundamentally change the face of legal services and make access far easier – today’s announcement underlines that ambition,” said Co-op’s chief executive Peter Marks.
Co-operative Legal Services currently runs out of Bristol and employs just 450 staff. The firm’s ambition is to roll out legal services across all of its 330 high-street branches.