Shepherd & Co. secured a second Quality Mark, namely membership of the Law Society’s Lexcel Practice Management accreditation scheme in 2013, adding to the Conveyancing Quality mark obtained in the previous year.
Shepherd & Co was able to demonstrate overall excellence in practice administration and so become one of some 10% of legal practices which had attained the standard.
‘We first inquired about the Lexcel quality mark in 2004’, explained Managing Partner, Robin Shepherd. ‘We were told by the Assessor at our preliminary meeting that he had not seen a practice so well prepared. As a result of the compliment, we saw no reason to take it any further.’
In 2011, we reviewed our management plans. As we live in an ever-changing world, we thought we should now make the application. It was then that the Law Society introduced another mark of excellence, namely the Conveyancing Quality Scheme. We took that up, and achieved the mark in a matter of months. Following the grant, we returned to the Lexcel application. On conclusion of the assessment the Assessor described us as a “well run firm.”
‘It is one thing to believe we are doing a good job. It is quite another for our own professional body to endorse that view. It gives confidence to our existing clients, and assures those with whom we have yet to establish a rapport.’
The Lexcel Quality Scheme goes one step further than the Conveyancing Quality Scheme, demonstrating cross-practice excellence.
For more information on the Law Society’s Quality Schemes, visit
www.lawsociety.org.uk/cqs or contact Robin Shepherd at