Legal Aid Agency
Overview
If you hold a legal aid contract with LAA you must have the SQM standard or the Lexcel Practice Management standard (Lexcel), owned by the Law Society.
The LAA owns the quality assurance standards known as Specialist Quality Mark (SQM).
Find information about Lexcel on the Law Society website or find providers who hold the SQM or Lexcel.
Specialist Quality Mark
The Specialist Quality Mark (SQM) is a quality assurance standard designed for organisations:
- supplying complex legal help
- offering a full range of legal services, including representation in court (where necessary and permitted) by formally trained professionals
Changes to the Specialist Quality Mark from 1 October 2022
The LAA has recently reviewed and updated the SQM Standard and SQM Guidance. The revised requirements in the SQM came into force on 1 October 2022.
A summary of the main changes are set out in the document below alongside final versions of the SQM Standard and Guidance:
Previous versions of the standard and guidance that were applicable for applications for an audit made before 1 October 2022 are available below.
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