Dublin-based law firm ByrneWallace has become the first large firm in Ireland to be awarded the internationally accredited Lexcel standard.
The standard of excellence was awarded by the Law Society of England and Wales.
"We have undergone a rigorous external audit to achieve this…Of course this is not a 'once-off' and we will continue to operate to the exacting standards which this accreditation requires," ByrneWallace managing partner Catherine Guy said.
To maintain its Lexcel quality mark, the firm must be transparent when it comes to fees. This means sending every client a quotation in writing before a transaction starts. If the transaction or deal is not cut and dried, it is obliged to let the client know that the quotation may have to change and it has to contact the client as the work progresses with any update on fees.
Last August, O’Rourke Reid became the first Irish firm to achieve accreditation from Lexcel, awarded only to law firms that prove - under onsite assessment by an accredited external auditor - that they meet the highest standards of client care, risk, quality and business management. The firm became only the third outside England and Wales to secure the Law Society’s Lexcel practice management accreditation.
ByrneWallace employs 35 partners and more than 200 staff in Dublin and New York.