Law firms are becoming increasingly aware of quality issues, a survey from accountants Baker Tilly has found. Almost a third of small and medium-sized firms have the Law Society’s quality mark, Lexcel. A further 61 per cent are planning to qualify.

The fifth Law Management Section/Baker Tilly Financial Benchmarking Survey is based on responses from 194 small and medium-size firms. The survey also found a trend for a more businesslike approach among law firms, with more than two-thirds of firms surveyed now employing a practice manager. Another 8 per cent have converted to limited-liability partnership status while almost half of the firms surveyed are considering it.

The Law Management Section of the Law Society was founded in 1998 and now has 1900 members, primarily from medium-size law firms.