RAISING STANDARDS

The new Lexcel standard—the Law Society’s practice management quality mark—will be launched on 23 October 2007. It is being updated to reflect relevant changes in law and practice management. Assessment against the new standard will be optional from 1 January 2008 and mandatory from 1 June 2008. Society president, Andrew Holroyd, says: “Practice management is a key issue for law firms and in-house departments alike. With regulations, such as the new code of conduct, and increasing demands from buyers of legal services, practices are now faced with a multitude of management challenges.”