Professional Standards and Quality Specialist

The Professional Standards & Quality Specialist will play a pivotal role in ensuring that the firm maintains the highest standards of practice and compliance within the SRA regulatory requirements and requirements of our other regulators in offices outside the UK. This position will work closely with our internal Compliance & Risk team focusing on aligning the firm’s quality standards with its strategic goals, whilst fostering a culture of continuous professional development (CPD) amongst legal practitioners and business services employees. The identification, creation and delivery of suitable professional skills and standards training programmes across the firm will be a key element of this role. This role will also oversee the group practicing certificate renewal process whilst ensuring compliance with all identified training & development requirements. This is a full-time role, including agile and flexible working.

• Ensuring that the firm and its lawyers are able to deliver work to clients of the highest standards, following current best practice and in compliance with the firm’s and the lawyers’ professional obligations.
• Working to ensure that best practice is followed in supervision of work at all levels, with particular regard to the hybrid working environment that the firm has embraced and the adoption of AI technologies.
• Working closely with the Compliance & Risk team to identify necessary changes and improvements to existing processes and standards, in particular around professional conduct, ethical behaviour, professional skills, client service and work quality.
• Working closely with the Compliance & Risk team to ensure that any changes made by applicable regulators to their rules or standards or by the firm to its own policies and procedures are communicated to colleagues in a timely, efficient and effective manner.
• Devise and deliver training programmes for staff at all levels relating to professional conduct, ethical behaviour, professional skills, client service and work quality.
• Working closely with the HRBP’s to ensure CPD is fully integrated into the performance management review process. Provide monthly management reports for all mandatory compliance training.
• Conduct Interval internal audits and assessments of compliance and quality standards, identify recommendations for continuous improvement.
• Oversee the firm’s practising certificate renewal process, ensuring all necessary documentation and training is completed in a timely manner and working with the Compliance & Risk team to ensure that all fee-earners being submitted centrally are eligible for bulk renewal. Ensuring that fee-earners not eligible for bulk renewal have obtained current practising certificates or the equivalent. Ensuring that fee-earners have current practising certificates or equivalent for all the jurisdictions whose laws they practice.
• Provide guidance & support across the firm on learning and development opportunities internally and externally, especially those that enable fee-earners to gain continuous professional development credit related to improving and enhancing skills and behaviours, rather than related to technical legal issues (which are covered by our Knowledge Development Lawyers).
• Foster a culture of quality and compliance within the firm, promoting best practice in professional standards aligned to our firm’s values.

Skills and Experience

• Proven experience in conduct compliance, ethical practice, professional skills training and/or quality management within a professional services environment.
• An excellent understanding of the SRA’s Standards and Regulations.
• Good understanding of the issues posed to training and supervision by hybrid working practices.
• Good understanding of the benefits and risks posed by the adoption of AI to client service, work quality and ethical standards.
• Proficient in managing compliance, professional standards and professional skills training programmes and reporting outcomes in a professional service environment.

Person Specification

• Excellent analytical skills, attention to detail and problem-solving skills.
• An ability to communicate effectively with colleagues of all levels of seniority across the firm internationally, both legal qualified and non-qualified staff.
• A proactive approach to continuous improvement, a commitment to high ethical standards and a strong focus on people development and support. High level of ethical judgement.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively across departments.
• Exceptional organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.