Lexcel

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Lexcel is our legal practice quality mark for client care, compliance and practice management.

It sets the standard for: Lexcel logo: a blue-grey rosette with the words "Accredited Lexcel" and the Law Society logo.

client care
risk management
people management
structure and strategy
financial management
information management
file and case management

Your practice must have either Lexcel or the Specialist Quality Mark to hold a legal aid contract with the Legal Aid Agency.

Lexcel can help your practice or in-house legal department to:

effectively manage risk
attract new business and increase client retention
reduce client complaints and increase client satisfaction
comply with new practice rules and regulatory requirements
increase profitability and efficiency by using standardised processes
access lower insurance premiums and receive favourable treatment from insurers

Eligibility

All legal practices and departments are eligible to apply for Lexcel, regardless of size or the type of work carried out. This includes sole practitioners and local authority legal departments.

Lexcel England and Wales v6.1 is for practices and organisations operating in England and Wales. There are two versions designed for:

legal practices – partnerships, limited liability partnerships, sole practitioners, incorporated law firms and alternative business structures (ABSs) regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority
in-house legal departments – including those in corporations, the public sector (including ABSs), law centres, not-for-profits and government organisations

Lexcel International v5.1 is for practices located in foreign jurisdictions or for branch offices overseas.

How to apply

To apply for accreditation, your practice will need to:

complete a self-assessment checklist for initial accreditation
submit the application form
be assessed by an independent body

The accreditation process takes around six months. It can take longer if we receive high volumes of applications or if you do not give us all the information we need.

The length of the assessment will depend on the number of:

practice areas
fee earners and support staff
other quality standards held – such as Investors in People or ISO 9001

Membership of the accreditation lasts for three years with an annual maintenance visit at the end of year one and year two.

Find out how to apply for Lexcel England and Wales v6.1

Find out how to apply for Lexcel International v5.1

Re-accreditation

Once you’ve been awarded a Lexcel accreditation, the three-year assessment cycle will begin. This is made up of:

annual maintenance visits at the end of year one (AMV1) and year two (AMV2)
a full re-assessment at the end of year three

Find out more about re-accreditation

Cost

You’ll need to pay an annual registration fee to be accredited.

We’ll send you an invoice for the registration fee when we receive your application.

The cost is calculated using the number of fee earners. This includes:

admitted and non-admitted fee earners
trainees who carry out fee-earning work
part-time fee earners
those who manage/supervise a team and carry out fee-earning work

If you’re a private practice applying for Lexcel International v5.1, the cost is calculated using the number of partners in your practice.

You’ll also need to pay an annual assessment fee directly to the independent assessment body you’ve chosen. Each assessment body has its own charging structure.

Lexcel England and Wales v6.1

Number of fee earners	Registration fee	Total (including VAT)
1	£78	£93.60
2 to 15	£225	£270.00
16 to 40	£320	£384.00
41 to 85	£499	£598.80
86+	£747	£896.40

Lexcel International v5.1

Type of practice	Number of staff	Registration fee	Total (including VAT)
Private practice	Sole practitioner	£62	£74.40
	2 to 4 partners	£181	£217.20
	5 to 7 partners	£237	£284.40
	8 to 10 partners	£309	£370.80
	11 to 15 partners	£361	£433.20
	16 to 25 partners	£499	£598.80
	26 to 50 partners	£598	£717.60
	51+ partners	£891	£1,069.20
Non-private practice	1 to 5 fee earners	£62	£74.40
	6 to 15 fee earners	£181	£217.20
	16 to 40 fee earners	£309	£370.80
	41 to 60 fee earners	£418	£501.60
	61+ fee earners	£536	£643.20