Warwickshire County Council’s Legal Services team have been awarded with LEXCEL 6.1, the latest version of a highly regarded legal practice accreditation.
It is the 24th year that Warwickshire Legal Services (WLS) has achieved this endorsement of excellence.
LEXCEL is an internationally recognised legal practice quality mark, administered by The Law Society for client care, compliance, and practice management.
WLS’ thorough LEXCEL assessment took place at the end of July, featuring interviews with members of staff as well as in-depth reviews of how legal cases and digital and printed information are managed by the service.
The assessment report highlighted that WLS’ approaches to strategic planning, financial management, and risk management were “meticulous”, and that file and case management within the service is “excellent”.
Client care was similarly emphasised as “excellent” and that the Service treats clients as a priority. The service’s approach in respect to supervision was highlighted as “proportionate and robust”, and interviewed staff noted that they felt recognised, motivated, and valued for contributing to the ongoing success of the service, whilst business objectives are always clearly communicated.
In the assessment WLS also demonstrated a forward-thinking approach towards remote work options. Employee feedback highlighted the positive impacts of being able to work from home or attend the office on a hybrid basis, with an overwhelming majority reporting improvements in work-life balance and heightened productivity. Employees also commented on WLS’ positive approach to supporting staff health and wellbeing, how there is a strong and loyal team culture present, and that value is placed on staff appraisals as well as encouraging ongoing career development and progression.
WLS’ use of IT was also identified as pivotal in enabling staff to work remotely whilst maintaining a secure working environment, ensuring uninterrupted service delivery and fostering a seamless continuity of service operations. The assessment confirmed that WLS staff receive regular updates on Data Protection, and extremely positive feedback was received from interviewees about the support they receive from IT.
Cllr Yousef Dahmash, Portfolio Holder for Customer and Transformation, said:
"I would like to extend my congratulations to Warwickshire Legal Services on this fantastic achievement, and to thank the team for all of their hard work in preparing for and engaging with the multi-day LEXCEL assessment process.
“Warwickshire Legal Services work effectively on behalf of all our clients, and the renewal of the LEXCEL accreditation is testament to how committed, ambitious, and motivated each member of the team is to make sure we add value to clients and ensure they receive the best possible service.”
Warwickshire Legal Services provide legal support to Warwickshire County Council, Warwickshire Police, along with a number of County, City, District and Borough Councils and other public sector clients. The team provides a wide range of legal services in a number of specialist fields including governance, information law, planning, property, highways, education, commercial, and adults and children’s social care and safeguarding. They also provide a wide variety of day-to-day support and training and innovative solutions to assist clients to meet their challenges.
To find out more about Warwickshire Legal Services, visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/wls