Compliance for Law Firms

Unfortunately it is evident from the 'Executive summary' at the start of Matthew Moore's guide to compliance for law firms that this collection of articles and analysis is already a little out of date.

The Executive summary looks forward to the review, by Lord Hunt of Wirral, commissioned by the Law Society in October 2008 into how the profession is regulated. This was of course published towards the end of last year.

However, the different chapters act as a useful introduction to compliance issues but should be read in the context of the changing framework within which law firms currently operate. For example, the sections relating to the Legal Complaints Service are no longer relevant because on 6 October 2010 the Legal Ombudsman opened its doors for business. Also, the ongoing consultation by the SRA into changing the current code for regulation into more outcomes-focused regulation will again lead to further change for the profession.

The remaining chapters, including those on risk management, retainer letters, confidentiality and the differences between ISO 9001, Lexcel and Investors in People are a useful guide/reminder for those who need to consider these issues in one convenient place, and therefore the book is a useful starting point in this complex and evolving area.