The AGR Law team prides itself on providing the best legal advice and representation, along with compassionate yet efficient client service.
Another area we never compromise on is compliance. Not only to uphold our excellent reputation, but also because certain standards are mandatory for our licence to practise law.
In this blog, we talk you through what you should be looking for in a law firm to ensure anyone you approach for legal support is regulated, trustworthy, and operating lawfully.
Our accreditations
You may have seen that we display four marks in the footer of our website, which demonstrate:
- Lexcel accreditation
- Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) authorisation
- Resolution membership
- Cyber Essentials certification
We’re going to explain each one below.
What is the Lexcel mark?
The prestigious Lexcel mark is an award set by The Law Society. That’s the independent professional body for solicitors in England and Wales that protects everyone’s rights and drives excellence amongst legal professionals.
Law firms that hold the Lexcel Mark are rigorously assessed to ensure they can demonstrate continuing excellence across several areas. They are also able to offer Legal Aid work, meaning that clients can access legal advice and representation with a reduced financial strain.
Lexcel accreditation is for three years, after which a full reassessment takes place. In addition, there are annual maintenance reassessments at the end of years one and two.
What does the Lexcel Mark mean to you as a client?
Any firm holding the accreditation will:
- Give new clients terms of business and estimated costs
- Have a robust complaints procedure
- Have policies and procedures in place to govern risks, such as outsourcing and money laundering
- Follow guidelines for case management, including data protection
What is Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) authorisation?
Several types of legal advisors make up our sector, including paralegals, McKenzie friends and Will writers. Some are regulated, but not in the same way as solicitors are.
In order to practise as a solicitor in England and Wales, you have to be authorised by the SRA.
AGR Law is an SRA-regulated firm, meaning we follow the SRA’s rules. Additionally, our solicitors are SRA-regulated solicitors, meaning they are allowed to practise law.
What does the SRA authorisation mean to you as a client?
The SRA protects the public by ensuring:
- Solicitors and law firms meet their high standards
- They act against solicitors who don’t follow their rules
- They support clients to get their documents and money back, if, as an example, a law firm shuts down suddenly
In addition, the SRA can prosecute, fine, suspend or strike off solicitors in cases of serious misconduct. They can also close firms down if there is a serious risk to the public.
What is Resolution membership?
Resolution is a community of family justice professionals who work with families and individuals to resolve issues in a constructive way.
What does the Resolution membership mean to you as a client?
As members, AGR Law has signed up to a code of practice, which is applied to our everyday work. This means our approach is to:
- Reduce conflict and confrontation
- Put children’s interests first
- Act with honesty, integrity and objectivity, listening to and treating clients with respect in a non-judgemental way
- Explain options available to clients and any potential long-term consequences of decisions
- Continually develop our knowledge and skills
What is Cyber Essentials certification?
Cyber Essentials is a checklist of controls a business can have in place to protect it from online security threats.
Accreditation focuses on five key areas:
- Firewalls – blocking unauthorised access to our network
- Security update management – keeping all software and systems updated, fix flaws, and remove or upgrade anything outdated or unsupported
- Malware protection – antivirus software to stop malicious programs
- User access control – removing old access and only giving users access to what they need
- Secure Configuration – setting up devices and software securely to reduce vulnerabilities
What does Cyber Essentials certification mean to you as a client?
Any holder of a Cyber Essentials certificate can demonstrate that they have assessed their systems and completed an online assessment which has been marked by a Cyber Essentials Assessor.
To sum up
Compliance isn’t just nice to have; it’s integral to our operations and demonstrates our commitment to behaving ethically and safeguarding your interests.
We value the trust you place in us with your most sensitive information, and our proactive measures ensure you can have complete confidence in our practises.
If you’d like to know more, please visit our website HERE and if you have any queries, please contact us at hello@agrlaw.co.uk or call 0116 340 0094.