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2025 Christmas Charity Cheque Presentation to Arthur Rank Hospice Charity

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Roslyn Sweeney, Partner and Residential Conveyancing Solicitor presented Sophie Marriage of Arthur Rank Hospice Charity a cheque for £200 on Monday 8th December. Every Christmas, instead of sending Christmas cards to our clients and contacts, staff select a charity local to each office to receive a donation. For Sawston office this year the chosen charity was Arthur Rank Hospice Charity.
You can find out more about Arthur Rank Hospice Charity here: https://www.arhc.org.uk/

 

2025 Christmas Charity Cheque Presentation to Memories are Golden Community Hub

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Jennifer Carpenter, our Managing Partner, visited the Memories are Golden Community Hub in Haverhill this morning to present Kelly with a cheque for £200. Every Christmas, instead of sending Christmas cards to our clients and contacts, staff select a charity local to each office to receive a donation. For Haverhill office this year the chosen charity was Memories are Golden Community Hub. You can find out more about Memories are Golden Community Hub here: https://memoriesaregolden.co.uk/

Adams Harrison raises £200 for 2025 Children in Need

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The Adams Harrison Social Committee sold raffle tickets to staff to support Children in Need 2025. In total £200 was raised for this worthy cause.

We have now achieved accreditation for Cyber Essentials Plus

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Adams Harrison is delighted to have achieved accreditation for Cyber Essentials Plus, after having held the Cyber Essentials accreditation for a number of years.

Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus are both UK government-backed cybersecurity certifications, but Cyber Essentials Plus adds an extra layer of assurance through a technical audit.

In essence, Cyber Essentials Plus provides a more rigorous validation of our cybersecurity posture by confirming that the controls are effectively working, not just documented.

Adams Harrison are committed to implementing measures to further improve our cyber security and protect personal data and client money.

Cabinet Office Accreditation For Customer Service Excellence

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Adams Harrison first attained the *Cabinet Office issued quality mark for Customer Service Excellence (CSE) in May 2021. We are extremely proud of this achievement as it reinforces, and attests to our commitment to provide the best service levels to our clients.

Premium customer service excellence by Adams Harrison, trusted UK legal advisors.

To retain the accreditation we must undergo an annual assessment. This includes checking files for consistent standards of excellent service and interviewing staff to ensure the CSE ethos is embraced by all, from the most senior to the most junior people within our business. The assessor doesn’t just take our word for this. He also contacts clients who have recently concluded business with us.

We are delighted to announce that we have recently completed our 2025 assessment and are re-accredited for CSE for a further 12 months.

The Assessor said:

“It remains very clear from both documentary and interview evidence that Adams Harrison put CSE at the heart of everything that they do. It is fully supported by the entire Management Team, and is an integral part of the Firm’s culture that they are all required to both sign up, and are measured against. In the assessor’s very wide experience of the legal sector, this level of commitment continues to be exceptional practice.”

 

*Further information about the CSE quality mark can be found here: https://www.customerserviceexcellence.uk.com/

Adams Harrison Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) accreditation – what’s it all about?

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The Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) is a quality assurance scheme introduced by the Law Society in 2011 and it has been widely adopted by many solicitors and law firms. There are now more than 3,000 solicitor firms who are accredited on the scheme.

Membership of CQS is designed to establish a level of credibility for member firms with stakeholders eg regulators, lenders, insurers and consumers, and the core aims of the Scheme are to improve the quality and consistency of services provided by residential conveyancing practices, and to help combat fraud and money laundering.

There are significant overlaps between the Lexcel accreditation (which Adams Harrison have held for 25 years and an earlier post explained) and CQS, but to achieve the CQS accreditation firms must apply and demonstrate greater focus on risk management, compulsory training and client care in the relevant aspects of conveyancing work.

Adams Harrison were an early adopter, having held the CQS accreditation continuously since July 2011, and were delighted to renew their accreditation for a further 12 months in July 2024.

You can find out more about the Conveyancing Quality Scheme here:

https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/topics/firm-accreditations/conveyancing-quality-scheme

Adams Harrison Customer Service Excellence (CSE) accreditation – what’s it all about?

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Adams Harrison are extremely proud to have held the Customer Service accreditation since 2021 and have recently re-accredited for a further three years.

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Originally known as Charter Mark it was one of the consequences of a political iniative, the Citizen’s Charter, which was launched by Prime Minister John Major in 1991, with its purpose being to improve customer service and performance in the public sector.

Over time Charter Mark evolved and in 2005 it was reviewed and as a consequence the Customer Service Excellence standard was launched. Although the principle focus was on public sector organisatioons, voluntary organisations having more than 10% public funding and private subcontractors on public contracts

The Customer Service Excellence Standard is made up of 5 main criteria. Assessment is carried out annually via a desktop review followed by an onsite / or remote review which views physical documentation and also speaks to clients, staff and partners to review their attitudes and working practices and also the firm’s customer focussed initiatives and performance.

You can find out more about the Lexcel quality standard here: https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/topics/firm-accreditations/lexcel

*These are law firms who still exist as they did when they were first awarded the Lexcel accreditation. Some law firms who were awarded the accreditation on 25th May 1999 or earlier may have merged or been acquired by other firms.

Our Lexcel accreditation – what’s it all about?

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Adams Harrison are extremely proud to have held the Lexcel accreditation for 25 years.

The Law Society of England and Wales’ Lexcel quality mark is designed for legal practices that want to implement an effective practice management system.

First launched in 1998, Lexcel accreditation is a sign of quality, showcasing our firm’s commitment to sound practice management, and designed to give reassurance to our current and future clients that we are a firm built on trust and integrity.

According the Solicitors’ Regulatory Authority (SRA) as at the end of June 2024 there were a total of 9,958 law firms in England & Wales, ranging from sole practitioners to international firms. All may apply to hold the Lexcel accreditation.

Of those only 1,596 organisations hold the Lexcel accreditation.

We are in a group of only 14 law firms* who have held the Lexcel accreditation since 25th May 1999 or earlier.

You can find out more about the Lexcel quality standard here: https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/topics/firm-accreditations/lexcel

*These are law firms who still exist as they did when they were first awarded the Lexcel accreditation. Some law firms who were awarded the accreditation on 25th May 1999 or earlier may have merged or been acquired by other firms.

Lexcel and Customer Service Reacceditation

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What better way to celebrate 190 years of the firm’s existence with recent reaccreditations for Lexcel and Customer Service Excellence.
The firm was subject to assessments for the reaccreditation of The Law Society Lexcel Standard and the Customer Service Excellence Award recently.
Adams Harrison Solicitors have now held the Lexcel accreditation for 25 years.  Lexcel is not an obligatory accreditation for firms of solicitors to hold.   It is a  mark of excellence if obtained.   It is a legal practice quality mark for client care, compliance and practice management.  In particular the following areas are assessed:
  • Client care
  • Risk management
  • People management
  • Structure and strategy
  • Financial management
  • Information management
  • File and case management
Adams Harrison Solicitors were one of the first firms to receive the Lexcel standard.   In this year’s reaccreditation our assessor made the following comments and observations:-
“…..the Practice should again be very highly commended for sustaining a very high level of compliance against the Lexcel standard”.   
“…..it remains very clear that compliance remains deeply embedded within the ethos and culture of the Practice”.
“….the firm remains an extremely well run, and extremely well managed Practice”.
The assessor commented that Adams Harrison should be highly commended for the on-going and very comprehensive staff training and communication that it has in place for cyber security, as well as the accreditation against the Cyber Essential Standard.
The assessor stated that the Practice showed significant emphasis and resources devoted to ensuring the wellbeing and mental health of its employees, including the availability of mental health first aiders.
The assessor stated that the firm continued to have very high standard in terms of training and development of its staff as well as on-going coaching, mentoring and support offered to all staff.
The assessor stated that there remained a very clear understanding from fee earners on all aspects of risk and that operational risk management was dealt with comprehensively and effectively.   He also stated that supervision was comprehensive and well embedded.
The assessor stated that it remained very clear that:
 “the Practice continues to place very significant emphasis on the levels of on-going client care which it provides and in the very great majority of instances it clearly does so…”    He commented on the low level of complaints and claims.   
Customer Service Excellence is not unique to the legal sector.   It is a National Quality Mark that seeks to recognise organisations that have a truly customer focused culture.   This was our 3 year assessment.   We obtained full compliance in all areas and “compliance plus” in a number of areas, also.
It was determined that Adams Harrison:
 “comfortably achieved the high standards necessary to continue to be accredited against the Customer Service Excellence Standard”.
The assessor stated that there was very clear evidence from the staff members that were interviewed that there was a desire to want to provide excellent customer service/client care.  The assessor stated that it was very clear that our staff were adept at effectively communicating with clients and managing their increased expectations.
The assessor stated that Adams Harrison puts Customer Service Excellence “at the heart of everything that they do”.

Lexcel and CSE Accreditation 2023

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Premium customer service excellence by Adams Harrison, trusted UK legal advisors.

We are delighted to announce that Adams Harrison has been re-accredited with Lexcel for the 24th year and Customer Service Excellence (CSE) for the 3rd year.

What are Lexcel and Customer Service Excellence (CSE)?

Lexcel is a Law Society Quality mark for law firms demonstrating legal excellence. The assessment process is independent and objective. The firm is assessed in areas of: Structure and Strategy, Financial Management, Information Management, People Management, Risk Management, Client Care and File and Case Management. You can find further information here: https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/topics/firm-accreditations/lexcel

Customer Service Excellence is an accreditation which was introduced by the Cabinet Office in 2007 and Adams Harrison gained accreditation in 2021. It offers businesses a practical tool for driving customer-focused change within their organisation. You can find further information here: https://www.customerserviceexcellence.uk.com/

Who has Lexcel and CSE?

Lexcel accreditation is not obligatory. It was introduced in 1998 by the Law Society for law firms and Adams Harrison was one of the first firms to achieve the accreditation.
CSE is open for any business in the UK to apply for this standard. Currently 322 organisations are accredited.

What happens during the annual re-assessments?

For Lexcel the auditor interviews staff and partners selected by him. He audits both open and closed files randomly selected by him. He reviews the firm’s practices and procedures, including policies and office manual. This year the auditor found no non-compliances.
For CSE the auditor reviews current policies and procedures which demonstrate that client care and maintaining high levels of service are at the forefront of everything we do. He also interviews a selection of clients for direct feedback on the experience.

Auditor’s comments for Lexcel

Despite the current difficulties and challenges, the Practice should again be very highly commended for sustaining an extremely high level of compliance against the Lexcel Standard. It remains very clear that compliance remains deeply embedded within the ethos and culture of the Practice. In Lexcel terms the Firm is an extremely well run, and extremely well managed Practice!!
The Practice should continue to be highly commended for the significant emphasis, and resources, which it devotes to ensuring the Wellbeing and Mental Health of its employees.
There remains a comprehensive and well embedded process of supervision which is very consistently implemented and well managed throughout the Firm.
It remains very clear from both interview and documentary evidence that the Practice continues to place very significant emphasis on the levels of ongoing client care which it provides.

Auditor’s comments for CSE

It was very clear from both documentary, and interview evidence, that the Practice puts CSE at the heart of everything that they do. It is fully supported by the entire Management Team, and is an integral part of the Firm’s culture that they are all required to both sign up to, and are measured against.
Despite the ongoing challenges of the post-pandemic context, the Practice has proactively continued to refine and develop the already deeply embedded culture of customer service/client care and it was very clear from interview evidence that staff were highly adept at managing client expectations.
It was also very clear that extremely robust procedures were in place to protect client privacy.

These excellent results are due to the collective effort of all our staff, from Managing Partner down to post clerk. Everybody puts the needs of our clients at the forefront of everything they do.
We all look forward to continuing to offer a high quality service in the communities we serve.