Quality systems help to improve profitability.

Systems to get things right first time save cost and assist delegation, and contented clients provide repeat work and recommendations.

Most claims on the Solicitors Indemnity Fund arise from failures of administration, rather than lack of legal knowledge.Many practices are already adopting quality badges, such as ISO9000 (ex BS5750), investors in people and legal aid franchising.

It is time for a comprehensive quality standard for solicitors, controlled by the profession rather than by outsiders.The practice management standards (PMS) were devised specially for solicitors, combining the systematic approach of ISO9000 with the people focus of investors in people.

However, until now, they have lacked a system for independent certification.

Therefore the Council has approved a voluntary PMS certification scheme to be launched in 1996.It is up to individual practices to decide whether to seek PMS certification.

If they do, they can seek PMS certification on its own, with ISO9000 or with investors in people (which should carry financial assistance from the local training and enterprise council).

Practices which have already achieved ISO9000, investors in people or franchising will be given credits, so that something which has recently been checked does not have to be checked again.The Law Society will issue the certificates, but will use the existing ISO9000 and investors in people certificating bodies to carry out the assessments.

The assessment of the practice will be preceded by a self-assessment checklist to help the practice decide whether it is ready to submit itself to the process, and (for those practices which want it) a voluntary pre-certification audit.The assessment itself will check implementation of the PMS as follows:1.

where appropriate, a credit in particular areas as a result of having obtained investors in people, ISO9000 or franchising;2.

a simple certificate (in standard form) from the practice's accountants that the practice complies with standards C2 (financial information) and C3 (time recording);3.

a document check to see that appropriate procedures have been devised, backed up by interviews to check the procedures have been understood and implemented.Using a wide range of assessors should keep co sts down, through competition.

The cost of assessment will depend on the size of the practice, probably starting at about £650 for a small single office practice.The scheme will not be formally launched until autumn 1996, with the first certificates all being issued at once at the end of that year.

Meanwhile, the scheme will be piloted in some trial practices so that any areas of difficulty can be ironed out before the scheme is launched.The PMS say what areas must be covered, but leave practices free to choose procedures which are appropriate to their own circumstances.

At first sight the PMS may seem intimidating, but if tackled item by item they should present no difficulty.

The improvement in efficiency should more than repay the time and effort the practice puts in.A full programme of support from the Law Society is being prepared.

This will include the following publications:1.

an introduction to quality systems, explaining the benefits and features of PMS, ISO9000 and investors in people -- so practices can choose what is right for them;2.

an implementation guide, explaining in a practical way how to implement the PMS in practice;3.

an updated version of the Society's popular office manual -- which practices can use as a starting point if they wish;4.

an assessor's guide, telling assessors what to check and letting practices know exactly what to expect.