Quality Mark

On this page:

About the Quality Mark
Specialist Quality Mark (SQM)
Quality Mark for the Bar
Further Information

About the Quality Mark

The Quality Mark is a family of quality assurance standards for legal services providers. There are four different Quality Marks:

Specialist Quality Mark (SQM)

The SQM is a quality assurance standard for legal services providers that:

supply complex legal help
offer a full range of legal services, including representation in court (where necessary and permitted) by formally trained professionals

Organisations that deliver legal aid and wish to continue to do so, must hold either the SQM or Lexcel (the Law Society’s practice management standard).

The SQM Delivery Partnership are responsible for auditing new SQM applicants, and for undertaking audits required by providers wishing to obtain a contract with the LSC or retain one post 2010 tender. The SQM Delivery Partnership will charge to undertake the audit process.

Further guidance on how to maintain your quality standard throughout the duration of your contract can be found in the 'Quality Standards Update' document in the Documents section on the right.

Quality Mark for the Bar (QMB)

The QMB is a standard for Chambers providing advocacy services.

Further Information

For more information on each of the Quality Marks please see the FAQs and Standard in the Documents section of this page. If you have any queries regarding any of the standards, or are a Quality Mark holder and require a Community Legal Service or Criminal Defence Service logo please email qualitymark@legalservices.gsi.gov.uk .

News regarding the Quality Mark standards will be published through the LSC Update

We are currently focussing our resources on our contracted providers. Please contact your regional office to check the local position regarding the QMB and MQM before beginning any application.

Holders of the SQM, MQM and GQM are listed in a provider directory on the Directgov website. Chambers holding the QMB are listed in the Directory of QM Chambers in the Documents section of this page.

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Last updated: 10 January 2012