Weblogic

A specialist consultancy for advice and support on all issues concerning publicly funded legal services

Recent assignments in solicitors' practices have included:

• Advice on the Office Manual to 'rescue and redesign' office systems to improve compliance with LSC contract and quality standards including peer review and SQM
• Advice on making systems more efficient and easier to implement
• Advice on all LSC compliance issues - reassurance if you are doing it right, effective and timely corrective action if systems have broken down
• In-house training on LSC fee schemes
• Internal audit - identifying strengths and weaknesses, advice on effective corrective action
• Advice on appealing poor audit results, whether peer review, SQM or contract compliance, including contract termination
• Advice on and preparation of LSC contract bids, including CLACs and CLANs
• Advice on preparing systems for LEXCEL
• Advice on applying for LEXCEL assessment

• Advice on partnership working with solicitors in private practice
• Advice on appropriate quality standard accreditation
• Training on quality issues in case recording

Vicky Ling has worked in the voluntary sector, for local government and the Legal Aid Board (now Legal Services Commission). She managed a Citizens Advice Bureau for 6 years, and maintains involvement on the Management Committee of a local CAB service. She was one of the first Liaison Managers appointed by the LAB to implement its Quality Assurance Standard, Franchising. Vicky 's experience gives her a unique insight into the Community Legal Service and Criminal Defence Service.

Since leaving the Legal Services Commission staff at the end of 1994, she has worked as a consultant with individual voluntary organisations, Citizens Advice and over 200 firms of solicitors on different aspects of LSC quality standards and contracting.

She has advised The Law Society on auditing practice for its Practice Management Assurance standard, Lexcel, and was the author of the original Law Society Guides to Legal Aid Contracting. She was a founder member of the Civil Justice Council.

Vicky presents a number of courses for CLT http://www.clt.co.uk/ as well as designing numerous bespoke in-house training packages for solicitors' firms and NfP agencies.

Vicky has a regular practice management column in Legal Action http://www.lag.org.uk/.

Vicky is registered with the International Register of Certificated Auditors and is a Member of the Chartered Quality Institute http://www.thecqi.org/

In 2008, Vicky joined five other experienced consultants who specialise in working with law firms, to form the Law Consultancy Network.

http://www.lawconsultancynetwork.co.uk

In addition to the services Vicky can provide, Law Consultancy Network members offer:

• Law firm strategy, operational and management structures, business development – law firm management
• Law firm legal structures, statutory provisions, professional regulations and compliance
• Client relationship development – Law firm CRM
• Law firm profitability and Financial management
• Leadership development and business coaching
• Management skills training
• Presentation skills training