In conjunction with Cherry Tree
Consultancy Limited
Lexcel is the
Law Society's practice management standard for law firms in
England and Wales and was introduced initially in 1999 and has
since been revised several times with the latest revision,
Version 4, due to become mandatory from 1 June 2008.
The standard
is loosely based on the international standard for quality
management standard ISO9000:2000 but has been refined and
tailored to meet the specific needs of legal practices and also
to address the main areas that cause both formal complaints
and/or claims against professional indemnity policies due to
errors or omissions.
As with most
quality management standards the Lexcel standard focuses on both
administrative procedures, administration and organisation,
training and client care plus most importantly the procedural
ways in which the actual legal service is delivered.
Cherry Tree
Consultancy Ltd is on the Law Society's approved list of Lexcel
consultants and has assisted a number of solicitors'
practices
of varying sizes from sole practitioners to organisations
employing more than 150 staff to achieve accreditation to the
Lexcel standard.
They aim to
deliver a complete package solution by way of providing specimen
documentation, briefing and guidance for staff, support and
assistance through the implementation process leading to
successful accreditation.
The aim is
that by that stage firms are able to manage the ongoing
processes themselves and ensure a high level of continued
compliance with the standard. However, where felt beneficial
Cherry Tree Consultancy is also happy to provide ongoing
internal quality auditing and advice to assist firms maintain
their high levels of performance.
