Accreditations

Barker Son and Isherwood are pleased to confirm that our application to remain part of the Conveyancing Quality Scheme ("CQS") has been successful. Having proven to meet the high standards which have been set out by the Law Society, every client who uses our services for their next house sale or purchase can expect to receive a professional, high-quality Conveyancing Service.

The scheme has grown significantly over the last 12 months and is popular with lenders. Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank all restrict panel membership applications to CQS accredited firms and HSBC Bank will only allow CQS accredited firms to act for both the Bank and the borrower. Santander Bank has recently announced that by 31st March 2013, all existing firms on their panel must be CQS accredited.

Jennifer Peebles of our firm is a member of Resolution, a 6500 strong group of family lawyers, who are committed to minimising the financial and emotional pain it causes. We do this by adopting a conciliatory approach, which puts the needs of any children involved first.

Resolution supports the work we do through its national and regional training programmes, publications and good practice guides. As members of Resolution we adhere to a code of practice. The code sets out the principles of a non-confrontational approach to family law matters. The principles of the code are widely recognised and have been adopted by the Law Society as recommended good practise for all family lawyers.

You can learn more on Jennifer Peebles' profile.

Barker Son and Isherwood are proud to have continued to secure the Law Society's National Law Management Quality Mark, LEXCEL. Lexcel is the Law Society's international practice management standard. It is a scheme for any type of practice to certify that certain standards have been met following independent assessment.

The Lexcel practice management standard is only awarded to solicitors who meet the highest management and customer care standards. Lexcel accredited practices undergo rigorous independent assessment every year to ensure they meet required standards of excellence in areas such as client care, case management and risk management.

Gabrielle Dell of our firm is a fully qualified member of STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners). The main focus of the organisation is to promote high professional standards within the profession, to provide educational and networking opportunities for its members and to contribute to debates and public policy in its specialist field. STEP are the global professional association for practitioners who specialise in family inheritance and succession planning. They work to improve public understanding of the issues families face in this area and promote education and high professional standards among its members.

STEP members help families plan for their futures, from drafting a will to advising on issues concerning international families, protection of the vulnerable, family businesses and philanthropic giving. Full STEP members, known as TEPs, are internationally recognised as experts in their field, with proven qualifications and experience.

All STEP members are subject to a Code of Professional Conduct requiring them at all times to act with integrity and in a manner that inspires the confidence, respect and trust of their clients and of the wider community. Members are also required to keep up to date with the latest legal, technical and regulatory developments.

For further information see https://www.step.org.

Barker Son and Isherwood are pleased to report that our Chartered Legal Executive, Rachel Barr is now a CILEX Fellow and has successfully completed the academic stage of training, and the regulatory requirements.

You can learn more on Rachel Barr’s profile.

Deborah Lewis, an Associate at Barker Son & Isherwood is a solicitor specialising in personal injury claims and is an Accredited Litigator with the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers.

You can learn more on Deborah Lewis’ profile.

Barker Son and Isherwood are pleased to confirm we passed our Cyber Essentials assessment. Cyber Essentials is a set of basic technical controls organisations should have in place to protect themselves against common online security threats.

Cyber Essentials is suitable for all organisations, of any size, in any sector. As well as helping to guard our organisation against cyber attacks, Cyber Essentials demonstrates our commitment to cyber security to our customers and our suppliers.