Four out of five law firms are still failing to get proper feedback from clients – despite increasing competition for legal services, research has found.

According to a survey of 2,000 adults that had used a solicitor in the past three years, only 20% had been asked to complete satisfaction surveys.

The research also revealed a small drop in the number of Britons using lawyers for advice – from 31% to 28% over the same period – with increasing numbers citing cost as a reason for choosing legal service providers.

The price of legal advice is now the second most important factor, behind experience and qualifications, for clients, with eight out of ten people saying cost determined their choice of solicitor – up nine% on two years ago.

Fareeda Jaleel, founder of FRJ Business and Marketing Solutions, said: ‘In today’s tough market it is essential that law firms, especially Lexcel accredited ones, survey their clients to find out how well they are meeting their needs. If they don’t, they risk losing clients to a firm that does listen and takes note of what their customers want.

‘It is also vital that once this information has been gathered it is used to improve services and harnessed into positive messages to boost the profile of the firm. Only those who go the extra mile and have a marketing edge will be able to better profits and get ahead of the competition.’

The YouGov survey also heralded some good news for traditional law firms with the revelation that – despite the introduction of the so-called Tesco law – more than 40% of people would not be interested in buying their legal advice on the high street.