An Irish law firm has become only the third outside England and Wales to secure the Law Society’s Lexcel practice management accreditation.

Dublin firm O’Rourke Reid joins Polish firm TGC Corporate Lawyers and Scottish firm McClure Naismith among those to have passed the assessment process required to obtain Lexcel status.

Lexcel provides law firms and in-house legal departments with a management framework to help manage risk effectively, reduce costs and promote profitability. All Lexcel-accredited practices undergo independent assessment every year to ensure they meet required standards of excellence.

Law Society president John Wotton said: ‘O’Rourke Reid has shown its commitment to providing an excellent service as well as running the firm effectively. Securing Lexcel status is not easy to achieve.

'The standards required are high, but we are confident other law firms in the Republic of Ireland and beyond have and can reach those standards should they apply for Lexcel status.

‘The main beneficiaries of Lexcel will be O’Rourke Reid clients who can be assured that their interests will be handled to a high standard.

‘It is our hope that across the world, more and more firms will obtain Lexcel accreditation.'