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Lexcel is the Law Society’s quality mark for client care, compliance and practice management. Achieving and maintaining accreditation requires firms to establish robust, documented processes across the key areas of the Lexcel Standard.
Legal Eye provides practical Lexcel accreditation support for firms preparing for their first assessment, an annual maintenance visit or a full reassessment.
Our experienced legal-sector compliance advisers can provide a gap analysis, review your documentation, help implement required improvements and support your firm throughout the assessment process.
What is Lexcel accreditation?
Lexcel is the Law Society’s legal practice quality mark for client care, compliance and practice management.
Lexcel England and Wales v6.1 is available to SRA-regulated legal practices and eligible in-house legal departments. It provides a structured framework for managing risk, maintaining effective operational processes and delivering consistent standards of client service.
Firms applying for accreditation must complete a self-assessment, submit an application and undergo an assessment conducted by an independent assessment body.
How Legal Eye can support your firm
What does the Lexcel Standard cover?
The Lexcel Standard covers seven key areas of legal practice management:
- Structure and strategy
- Financial management
- Information management
- People management
- Risk management
- Client care
- File and case management
Legal Eye can help your firm understand how these requirements apply to its services, structure, working practices and existing compliance arrangements.
Lexcel services tailored to your firm
Support can be tailored to your firm’s current position, available internal resources and the amount of assistance required. Legal Eye’s Lexcel services can include:
- A Lexcel gap analysis with a clear findings and action report
- Review and development of policies, procedures, plans and supporting documents
- Practical support implementing corrective actions
- File reviews and analysis
- Review of client-care letters and terms of business
- Review of the firm’s office manual and associated policies
- Review of central compliance registers
- Business continuity, compliance, learning and development, strategic business and IT planning
- Website and regulatory publicity checks
- Preparation for the independent Lexcel assessment
- Attendance and support during assessment days
- Post-assessment corrective-action support
- Support preparing for annual maintenance visits and full reassessment
Understanding the Lexcel assessment cycle
Lexcel accreditation is awarded for three years.
Following initial accreditation, the assessment cycle consists of:
- An annual maintenance visit at the end of year one
- A second annual maintenance visit at the end of year two
- A full reassessment at the end of year three
Legal Eye can support your firm throughout this cycle, helping it maintain the required arrangements and prepare for each assessment.
Preparing for your initial Lexcel assessment
Before an initial assessment, your firm must be able to demonstrate that the requirements of the Lexcel Standard have been implemented and operating for at least three months.
Legal Eye can review your current arrangements, identify gaps and help your firm develop the documentation and evidence required before the assessment takes place.
What your firm receives
The exact deliverables will depend on the support package agreed with your firm.
Where a Lexcel gap analysis is completed, your firm will receive a detailed report identifying its current position, areas requiring attention and the recommended actions.
Legal Eye can then provide practical guidance and implementation support to help your firm address the findings and prepare for its independent assessment.
Support from experienced Lexcel specialists
Support is delivered by members of Legal Eye’s wider team of experienced legal-sector risk and compliance professionals.
Our advisers have supported firms of different sizes through initial Lexcel accreditation, annual maintenance visits and full reassessment. They provide practical, proportionate guidance designed to help firms embed Lexcel requirements into their wider compliance arrangements.
Your firm may also benefit from our CQS accreditation support, outsourced file reviews or editable compliance policy templates.
Discuss Your Lexcel Requirements
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Lexcel accreditation?
Lexcel is the Law Society’s legal practice quality mark for client care, compliance and practice management. It provides a structured framework that helps legal practices and eligible legal departments establish effective systems, manage risk and deliver consistent standards of service.
Which firms and organisations are eligible?
Lexcel England and Wales is available to SRA-regulated legal practices, including partnerships, limited liability partnerships, sole practitioners, incorporated law firms and alternative business structures.
Eligible in-house legal departments may also apply, including departments within corporations, public-sector organisations, law centres, not-for-profit organisations and government bodies.
Which version of the Lexcel Standard currently applies?
Lexcel England and Wales v6.1 currently applies to practices and eligible organisations operating in England and Wales.
Lexcel International v5.1 applies to practices operating in foreign jurisdictions and overseas branch offices.
What areas does the Lexcel Standard cover?
The Lexcel Standard covers seven key areas of legal practice management:
- Structure and strategy
- Financial management
- Information management
- People management
- Risk management
- Client care
- File and case management
How can Legal Eye support our firm?
Legal Eye can provide support throughout the Lexcel accreditation cycle. Depending on your firm’s requirements, this can include a gap analysis, document review, development of policies and procedures, corrective-action support, file reviews, preparation for assessment, attendance during assessment days and support with annual maintenance visits and full reassessment.
What is included in a Lexcel gap analysis?
A Lexcel gap analysis assesses your firm’s current arrangements against the requirements of the Lexcel Standard.
Legal Eye will identify areas of compliance, highlight gaps in your policies, procedures, plans and supporting evidence, and provide a report setting out the recommended actions. The findings can then be used to create a practical plan for preparing for accreditation or maintaining existing accreditation.
How long does Lexcel accreditation last?
Lexcel accreditation lasts for three years. During this period, an annual maintenance visit takes place at the end of year one and year two, followed by a full reassessment at the end of year three.
What are annual maintenance visits?
Annual maintenance visits assess whether your firm continues to comply with the Lexcel Standard after accreditation has been awarded.
The first annual maintenance visit takes place at the end of year one and the second at the end of year two. These assessments usually take approximately half the time required for an initial assessment.
When is a full reassessment required?
A full reassessment is required at the end of the three-year accreditation cycle. The assessor will review the firm against all the requirements of the relevant Lexcel Standard.
Does our firm need three months of evidence?
Yes. Before an initial Lexcel assessment, your firm must be able to demonstrate that the requirements of the Lexcel Standard have been implemented and operating for at least three months.
Does Legal Eye award Lexcel accreditation?
No. Legal Eye can help your firm understand the requirements, prepare its documentation, address identified gaps and get ready for assessment.
The assessment is conducted by an independent assessment body, and Lexcel accreditation is awarded by the Law Society.
How long does it take to prepare?
The preparation time will depend on your firm’s current arrangements, the gaps identified and the amount of implementation support required.
The Law Society advises that the complete accreditation process can take approximately six months. It may take longer where significant corrective work is required or information is not provided promptly.
