Legal Software Compliance

New technology and constantly changing legislation can present many challenges to the legal profession. Select Legal Systems strives to be at the forefront of legal software development in order to assist and advise law firms on how to meet these challenges. For this purpose, we consistently aim to maintain professional standards and to adhere to strict legal compliance guidelines.

We stay one step ahead for you, constantly updating our software so it meets the latest recommendations and regulations:

• LAWFUSION is accredited and approved by the Law Society of England & Wales.
• LAWFUSION is fully compliant with the Solicitor's Account Rules (SARS) of the Law Society of England and Wales.
• LAWFUSION is fully compliant with the Legal Services Commission (LSC) franchising requirements.
• LAWFUSION is fully compliant with the LEXCEL Standard.
• Select Legal Systems are members of the Legal Software Suppliers Association (LSSA).

Law Society of England & Wales

Up until 2009, the Law Society has provided its members with guidance and assistance on the selection, implementation and use of technology within solicitors' practices. They conducted independent research to ascertain satisfaction levels of the law firms using legal software and they published their findings in the Law Society Software Solutions Guide. For inclusion in the guide they attempt to ascertain satisfaction levels relating to the effectiveness of the software, the ease of use, the quality of the training and support, etc.

Select Legal Systems was consistently rated very highly in all categories. For example, voted "first for customer satisfaction" on one occasion and described as "Arguably the Best of the Best of Breed" on another.

SARS

The Solicitors’ Accounts Rules (SARS) present law firm partners and their Fee Earners and accounts staff with many challenges and the consequences of non-compliance can be very serious indeed; a visit to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, fines, penalties, etc.

LAWFUSION has been developed to make SARS compliance easy. The software provides all the standard SARS checks, for example there are checks to ensure that:

• The Client Account is not overdrawn.
• The Office Account is not in credit.
• Money received in Client Account to pay a bill must be transferred to pay outstanding bills within 14 days of receipt.
• Interest is paid to the Client.

Our experienced legal accountancy and cashiering support team are always on hand if ever you need advice or guidance.

Legal Services Commission

The Legal Services Commission (LSC) works in partnership with solicitors and not-for-profit organisations to help people get access to legal advice, information and help. Legal aid is managed by the Legal Services Commission, which makes sure that all solicitors' firms that offer legal aid meet high quality standards.

The LSC are constantly making changes to submission rules and this can make life difficult for Legal Aid firms. As a provider of Legal Aid software we understand only too well the problems that these rule changes can cause and so we strive to incorporate these changes into our software as quickly as possible.

LAWFUSION is fully compliant with the Legal Services Commission (LSC) franchising requirements. LAWFUSION conforms to the time recording requirements for the Community Legal Service (CLS) and the Criminal Defence Service (CDS) matters and supports both London and national rates. It incorporates automatic bill posting and payment for fixed fee work and integration to the LSC website for monthly submission of matter starts and completions.

Lexcel

Developed by the Law Society, Lexcel allows any type and size of practice working to the practice management standards to gain recognition through independent assessment. The easiest way for a firm to show it is managing itself properly is to get a practice management standard stamp such as Lexcel. The Lexcel standard allows legal professionals to demonstrate that they are looking to provide exceptional customer service by distinguishing their service offering from that of their competition.

Select Legal System has a strong commitment to the Law Society's Lexcel standard and offers a complete working environment which simplifies the task of compliance and risk management. LAWFUSION as a product supports the process of demonstrating efficiency and best value.

LSSA

The LSSA is the UK industry body for legal systems developers and vendors and represents most of the leading UK legal software suppliers. It aims to both set and maintain professional standards within the industry and manage areas of mutual interest between lawyers and software providers. The LSSA has numerous links with legislative bodies – such as the Land Registry, LSC, Law Society, etc – and is committed to developing clear channels of communication to enable law firms to gain the maximum benefit from their selected software solutions.

Select Legal Systems have been members of the Legal Software Suppliers Association (LSSA) since 2004 and adheres to a strict LSSA code of practice in their dealings with customers. It subscribe to the Association's mediation service for dealing with unresolved complaints by customers about the quality of services or goods provided by LSSA members.