We were recommended for accreditation at the first attempt and there is no doubt that this would not have been achieved without Adele's detailed knowledge of Lexcel and her organisational ability.
Testimonials
“We first met Adele in November 2014 to commence our Lexcel accreditation, and agreed a twelve month timescale to make our application. Adele’s knowledge, application and understanding of our working methods was flawless through the whole process and allowed us to complete our application a month early. We were successfully accredited in December 2015, which is something we would not have achieved without Adele’s invaluable help through the entire process. I cannot recommend Adele highly enough”
Andy Carlile - Practice Manager - Bury Metropolitan Borough Council - Legal Services
“Adele provided us with invaluable expertise throughout the process of applying for Lexcel Accreditation. She gave clear advice as to the most recent changes and requirements of Lexcel and assisted us with the drafting of the necessary documentation, culminating with the application itself. All in all I believe her involvement made the process much easier for us to deal with and resulted in our achieving accreditation at the first attempt with no non compliances whatsoever. I am more than happy to recommend her services.”
Paul Ackroyd – Senior partner - A2 Solicitors LLP
“We decided to carry out a full review of our documentation and processes and instructed Adele to assist us. She did this in an extremely professional manner also with full understanding of how to motivate the staff and include them in everything we were doing.
We achieved Lexcel Accreditation with the assessor reporting how impressed she was and this was and this was down to Adele's guidance and and attention to detail and in depth understanding of Lexcel.
She has also assisted with and advised upon file audits, compliance, risk and general management of a law practice.
We would recommend Adele to any law practice who wants to be fully compliant."
Stephen Cantor - Cantor Law Limited
“As a practice undertaking residential conveyancing, it was important that we obtained the CQS accreditation. Adèle worked with us throughout the whole process, leaving us to focus on looking after our clients and earning fees. She has also provided guidance and assistance on a whole range of strategic and management issues along the way. Her input has been invaluable”
Maurice Mason, Senior Partner - Mason & Co
“I first met Adele when I attended a training seminar she was conducting giving me the necessary CPD points to become the ‘Supervising Partner’ for the new Solicitors’ firm that I was forming with three other partners.
It became very obvious that I had found someone who knew her subject backwards and I, therefore, sought her help, on an outsourced basis, in drafting my new firm’s Office Procedures Manual, Money Laundering Guidance notes, and all the ancillary documentation that had to be in place before we started business. Adele provided all the draft documentation, guidance and help that we required within a very short timescale, demonstrating a clear understanding of our business and tailoring her advice accordingly.
Since our initial start up, we have retained Adele to provide us with ongoing advice on all Compliance issues.”
Tim Thornton Jones, Head of Risk and Professional Compliance, Berkeley Law Ltd, Mayfair, London
“I have worked collaboratively with Adèle and was aware of her experience and expertise. Gunnercooke LLP is a relatively new firm and as the nominated COLP and COFA, I wanted an objective overview of our policies and procedures to make sure I had covered all angles. Adèle checked our documentation before meeting me to discuss some thought provoking ideas and "tweaks" of refinement.
I got a lot out of our meeting not least confidence that at least I was on the right track and will certainly repeat the exercise.
I have no hesitation in recommending Adèle's services to any law firm.”
Sarah Goulbourne - Partner at Gunnercooke LLP
“When deciding to secure professional assistance from a risk consultant to help us re-configure our internal systems and procedures in order to comply with the Solicitors Code of Conduct, we were already familiar with Adele Warchester who had impressed us with her depth of knowledge and clarity on the matter. She identified practical ways to apply the Code to our practice, and her approach was both precise and patient, which could not have been easy as we have three offices, all of which operated on a slightly different basis and many of the systems had to be customised accordingly. We have also found that her expert guidance and advice have put us in an advantageous position for the purposes of CQS registration and the new outcomes-focused regulation.”
Simon Sleigh, Quality Partner, Sleigh, Son & Booth Solicitors, Manchester
“Thanks to Adele’s expertise in “risk management and compliance” , she has worked tirelessly and passionately to give Beeley&Co a solid foundation in building our Practice. As a result of Adele’s involvement, we are now in the process of applying for Lexel Accreditation and are able to carry out our day to day work risk free and fully compliant.
Adele has the difficult task of entering and engaging with a law practices and highlighting areas for improvement. In some cases this can involve telling experienced Practioners what they might not want to hear. She does this with tact, diplomacy and a high degree of efficiency and integrity. Adele then provides practical and workable solutions.
There are difficult times ahead for the law industry and Adele’s wise counsel and in-depth risk management knowledge is invaluable. “ she is a must for every law firm”
Nancy Beeley, Senior Partner, Beeley & Co Solicitors, Stockport & Brighton
“We first approached Adele as a result of one of our partners attending an impressive lecture she gave relating to compliance. At that stage, whilst there was a partnership structure in place and a partnership secretary employed to deal with organisational/regulatory matters, following initial conversations with Adele it became apparent that our compliance could be improved.
Since then, the firm has made dramatic changes. From complaints handling and Law Society regulatory compliance, to preparation of the Office procedures manual, Employees handbook, diversity policies, and implementation of internal auditing, Adele has been pivotal in putting in place processes and structures, drafting documents where necessary, to minimise risk. Essentially Adele has helped the firm become what it is today – a commercial firm who pride themselves on legal prowess and one who strives to give their clients an unrivalled customer focused experience.
There is little doubt that the firm and Adele will be working together for a number of years. We would sincerely recommend her services to law firms of all sizes and believe she can add value to your organisation. “
Lee Lipson, Litigation Partner, BPS Law LLP, Manchester
“We first met Adele some three years ago at a Law Society Seminar when we were initially seeking to review our File audit procedure.
Impressed by Adele's knowledge and professional approach in May 2009 after an initial meeting with the Equity partners, we engaged Adele to conduct an ongoing internal audit and review working one or two days a week over a period of some six weeks, in order to satisfy ourselves of both our existing quality assurance standards and policies with a view to also then updating our Practice Manual and then putting in place in house procedures to levels acceptable for Lexcel accreditation.
Adele was not only able to pick up on compliance issues and provide us with suitable precedents for our work types and office procedures and also help us to re-draft standard documentation and up date our Manual but Adele then also played a significant part in assisting our Managing Partner in realigning the business and our departments and improve communications as we approached incorporation in October 2010.
Adele has additionally been very helpful in providing advice to our Money Laundering Compliance Team and in simplifying our Risk Analysis and provisions.
We have been very appreciative of the benefit of having someone as experienced as Adele working with us with her knowledge and experience of the legal profession and the administrative and bureaucratic demands made of us. Indeed, the procedures and documentation put in place over the preceding eighteen months with Adele's assistance enabled us to complete our Law Society CQS application without difficulty. “
Graeme Burn, Managing Director & Solicitor, QualitySolicitors Burn and Co, York
“Adele provided her consultancy services to Read Roper and Read in 2010. Her understanding of regulatory requirements and her advice in relation to best practice has proved invaluable. Adele assisted with the creation of our staff handbook and the implementation of several of our policies. Her previous experience as a managing partner within a law firm enabled us to benefit from her considerable experience and understanding of the challenges facing law firms today.”
Andrew Kay, Senior Partner, Read Roper, Manchester
“When working with Adele on obtaining the Lexcel standard and on regulatory issues for my firm I found that she has a real eye for detail and a degree of practical knowledge in the management of law firms that only a former managing partner can have.
In my experience she unfailingly does what she says she will when she says she will – a rare thing nowadays. Her prices seem to me to be very reasonable for the quality of service delivered. She clearly has a genuine desire to help and puts her clients best interests to the fore."
Bob Tarren, Sole Practitioner, Robert Tarren Solicitors, Bristol
"Having made the decision to apply for the Lexcel Accreditation we quickly realised that assistance from an outside consultancy was needed. Once Adele came on board things progressed quickly and we received our accreditation within 12 months of starting to work with Adele. I cannot thank Adele enough for her commitment and professionalism in helping us to devise and implement all of the necessary procedures and policies. Thanks to Adele I now feel that not only do we meet the standards of the Lexcel Accreditation, but the changes have brought a real improvement to the way that we do business and are helping us to meet the challenges faced by the profession. Adele's knowledge of the changing regulatory structure, her approach to client care and risk management makes her the perfect choice for any firm contemplating a review of its risk management strategy or compliance policies."
Simon Chiverton, Quality Partner, AH Brooks Solicitors, Leek
'We decided some years ago to embark on Lexcel accreditation but found it difficult to complete the detailed requirements internally. We then engaged Adele Warchester as a Consultant to supervise our application. She organised and motivated all members of the firm to work together and this immediately provided a structure to the project. As a result, we were recommended for accreditation at the first attempt and there is no doubt that this would not have been achieved without Adele's detailed knowledge of Lexcel and her organisational ability. I have no hesitation in recommending her to any firm wishing to obtain this essential management and marketing tool.”
John Ainley, Senior Partner, North Ainley Halliwell, Oldham
Adele has delivered in-house training for a number of years now, including an insight into the 2007 Code, File Audits and OFR and the new Code of Conduct. Her courses have been delivered to our partners, fee earners and administrative staff and are well written, informative and strike the right note. The training is essential to us maintaining our Lexcel accreditation and risk awareness.”
Sharon Rumens, Quality Control Manager GLP Solicitors, Manchester
With all the changes taking place in relation to solicitors’ regulation, it is essential for every firm to work with an expert to ensure they are fully compliant. Ours was a new firm and as we grew, it became necessary to give even more attention to regulatory requirements.
We chose to work with Adèle because of her user-friendly approach to what is essentially a dry area. Although Adele was commissioned to work with us to produce documents such as our office manual and our terms of business, she became an invaluable part of our team. Because of her previous experience of managing a large practice, she was able to give valuable insight into management issues, which also had a direct bearing on regulation and compliance.
I would highly recommend Adele to any firm who wants to ensure that they are fully compliant.
Venisha Shah, Director, The Lawhouse, London
