Promoting solicitor expertise

Why apply for CQS?

Rowlinson's Solicitors were one of the early adopters of the CQS. Here's why: 'There are many reasons why we made the decision to apply for CQS accreditation such as improved customer service and risk management.

However, the main reason was to try and protect our panel status with lenders. Michael Coogan, chairman of CML recently commented at the recent Conveyancing Association Summer Reception CQS is the last chance saloon for the profession'.

We believe that by securing this valuable accreditation it will increase our chances of remaining on lenders panels thus offering improved service to our clients.'

The legal environment is currently in a state of change, leaving many solicitors facing uncertainty about their future viability. Now more than ever, it is important for the legal profession to build awareness with the public, government and other stakeholders about solicitor expertise in the provision of legal advice and services.

The Law Society supported solicitors in 2010 with public advertising and promotion of the solicitor brand, as well as through our well-recognised accreditation schemes. This year has also seen the launch of a new Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) and the continued growth of the popular Law Society Excellence Awards, which celebrate brilliance in the profession.

Launch of Conveyancing Quality Scheme

The residential conveyancing market is already crowded, making it difficult for consumers and mortgage lenders to identify quality firms. To address this, in 2010 Law Society developed the Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS), aiming to:

recognise quality and high standards in residential conveyancing, and
help firms achieving those standards be more visible to the public, to mortgage providers and other stakeholders.

The scheme opened for applications in January 2011 and accredited the first firms in February. Since then the scheme has quickly grown in popularity with over 100 firms already accredited and almost 1000 applications. Welcomed by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), Association of British Insurers, the Legal Ombudsman, Building Societies Association and Land Registry, CQS has already gained credibility in the residential property market.

CQS accredited firms are already feeling the benefits, reporting new business is being generated directly from scheme membership. All regions in England and Wales now have CQS accredited firms present and firms of all sizes have secured the CQS mark, showing that it is a scheme for all types of conveyancing practice.

The Conveyancing Quality Scheme has been supported by a number of publications and materials, including the Law Society Conveyancing Protocol, which sets out preferred practice for conveyancing using the example of a simple sale and purchase transaction, and the fifth edition of Standard Conditions of Sale.

CQS and mortgage lending boards

Recent developments in the property lending sector have affected many firms who specialise in conveyancing work. Traditionally, most lenders have maintained a panel of solicitors who carry out conveyancing work on behalf of lenders and purchasers. However, recently lenders have moved towards restricted panel membership, introducing new criteria causing firms to be removed from panels, leading to loss of work and affected viability.

The Law Society advised and supported firms affected, and maintained a positive dialogue with lenders to promote mutual understanding. As a result, several lenders introduced appeals processes and agreed to withdraw or amend requirements which were at odds with the Solicitors' Code of Conduct. The Conveyancing Quality Scheme helps conveyancing firms to address the challenges they're facing by providing a recognised quality mark to reassure lending boards of the provision of high standard conveyancing practice.

Building public awareness of solicitor expertise

In 2010/11, for the third consecutive year, the Law Society ran a national public-facing awareness campaign with the message 'Your Solicitor, Qualified to Answer.'

The campaign aimed to promote solicitor's services and expertise to the public. Advertisements were featured in the national press, in train and underground stations, on buses, taxis and online, with an estimated 362 million views of the message.

Find out more about our public-facing campaign work

The campaign's success was felt by members across the country with almost 70 per cent of surveyed solicitors reporting that the promotion of solicitor expertise had a practical positive impact for their firm.

In 2011/12, we're continuing to promote and strengthen awareness of the solicitor brand and to drive people seeking legal help to our members, with an extensive online and multi-channel advertising campaign. The online part of this campaign will promote our accreditation scheme members through optimised Google search advertising. We will also be running a general outdoor advertising campaign to promote solicitors in September and October of 2011.

Accreditation schemes - recognising professional expertise

The Law Society accreditation schemes increase public awareness of the benefits of choosing legal representatives who are specialists in their field, enable firms with accredited individuals to harness the power of the Law Society brand, and help the public to make informed choices as to which solicitor to instruct. Currently, around 18,000 solicitors belong to one of the Law Society's accreditation schemes:

Children Law	Immigration Law
Family Law	Civil and Commercial Mediation
Family Law Advanced	Planning Law
Family Mediation	Personal Injury
Criminal Litigation	Mental Health Review Tribunal
Clinical Negligence	Conveyancing Quality Scheme

Lexcel accreditation goes international

In 2011, the Law Society's prestigious Lexcel practice management accreditation went international with TGC Corporate Lawyers in Warsaw, Poland, becoming the first practice outside the UK to achieve accreditation.

Lexcel is the only professional scheme in the world that focuses on legal management for practices of all sizes and specialisations. Our 890 Lexcel accredited members are supported by a flexible management framework that helps them to work more efficiently, manage risk effectively, reduce costs and maximise their profitability.

'Many legal practices are developing an international element to their businesses, and it's important that the Lexcel accreditation reflects the increasingly global nature of legal services,' says Law Society former president Linda Lee.

Lexcel accreditation is now open to legal practitioners around the world. Accreditation is valid for three years and monitored annually to ensure adherence to standards.

Christian Fielding of TCG Corporate Lawyers Poland, the first non-UK firm to achieve Lexcel accreditation, is already seeing the benefits of joining the scheme. Christian says:
'We have already seen the positive impact that implementing and achieving the Lexcel standard has had on our firm, and it will be a very important tool for scaling up our business in the future. We saw the Lexcel accreditation process as a good opportunity to tighten up our systems and processes, and our people have really benefitted from it.

Since we are the first law firm outside England and Wales with accreditation, Lexcel provides our clients with a unique assurance of the quality of service they can expect from us.'

The Law Society Excellence Awards - celebrating brilliance in the profession

The 2010 Excellence Awards saw 600 outstanding solicitors and their guests join Law Society president Linda Lee and BBC broadcaster Mishal Hussain at a presentation ceremony at Old Billingsgate in London. The annual awards recognise the most outstanding practitioners in their field and are open to individuals and teams across the entire legal sector, and recognise best practice and celebrate excellence and achievement in areas central to the profession today.

'Winning an award is more than recognition from professional colleagues, it is also a symbol of quality for members of the public,' says former president Linda Lee.

The awards reflect the diverse nature of the profession with winners ranging from big city firms to sole practitioners. They also are an opportunity to recognise solicitors who work in areas of the law that may not receive much recognition.

The 2010 Solicitor Advocate of the Year, Razi Shah, says: 'It's always nice to be recognised, particularly in the criminal field, where lots of criminal lawyers work very hard for very little money. Solicitor advocates have had a difficult time in the courts because they're taking over work from the bar and they get some criticism. That's why these awards and this recognition is great for the profession, and great for solicitor advocates.'