SQM Services from 1 October 2022

The Legal Aid Agency (“LAA”) invited Applicants to tender for a concession contract (“Contract”) to administer the LAA’s Specialist Quality Mark (“SQM”), from 1 October 2022. The SQM is the LAA’s organisational quality standard designed to ensure that Legal Services Providers are well run and provide good client care. The SQM gives assurance regarding the quality of advice in several ways which, whilst not direct measures of quality are fundamental to reliable delivery of a quality service and therefore are fundamentally important to the delivery of legal aid services. Compliance with the SQM, or equivalent standard (e.g. Lexcel), is a requirement for Legal Services Providers that have, or are seeking to have, a contract with the LAA. The LAA intended to enter into contract with one (1) organisation to administer the LAA’s SQM under a licence. On the LAA’s behalf, the Licensee will provide the SQM Services, which include auditing and assessing Legal Services Providers that apply for SQM accreditation. This notice confirms the outcome of that procurement.