Quality Policy Statement

Members of Ropewalk Chambers enjoy a nationwide reputation for providing a specialist independent advisory, drafting and advocacy referral service of the highest calibre in a professional, efficient and cost effective manner.

This Quality Policy and the controls defined in Chambers’ Quality Manual have been developed to ensure that Chambers fulfils the following objectives in its aim to provide the highest level of service to its clients:

• To provide a professional, approachable and competitive service within the members’ areas of expertise ensuring prompt and practical legal advice and representation as a priority;
• to provide an effective clerking service with whom our professional clients can deal on terms of familiarity and trust;
• to utilise information technology to its full potential in order to maximise efficiency and client care;
• to resolve client concerns as speedily as possible and to develop services in response to feedback received;
• to recruit capable, helpful and courteous staff and invest in their development and training;
• to ensure that our premises and facilities are accessible and comfortable;
• to provide a working environment that is safe and secure for all personnel and visitors;
• to provide an effective training programme for pupils;
• to comply with and promote the Bar Council’s Code for Equality and Non-Discrimination;
• to provide strategic direction and to develop Chambers to its full potential;
• to ensure that responsibility, authority and the decision making structure within Chambers are clear.

We are committed to a policy of assuring the quality of our service to all clients.  In the accomplishment of this aim, our objective is to provide an efficient and professional service, carried out to controlled practices and to standards that are consistently maintained.  This is ensured through the implementation and maintenance of clear policies and procedures that are adhered to by all members and staff.  We have set service standards in respect of those aspects impacting directly upon our clients and measure our compliance at regular intervals to ensure such standards are maintained or improved upon.

Ropewalk Chambers work to and will continue to meet with the requirements of the Legal Services Commission’s Quality Mark for the Bar (Quality Mark).  Although everyone within Chambers contributes towards the implementation, improvement and success of our quality management system, our Head of Chambers, Management Committee and Senior Clerk have responsibility for ensuring that standards are adhered to by the members and staff.

We believe sustained quality and excellence are achieved only by continuous improvement and will strive to improve the service to our clients by means of structured reviews of our quality management system.  Our Management Committee and Chambers’ meetings provide a regular forum for the monitoring of standards and achievements, reviewing feedback and problems encountered and reviewing the effectiveness of corrective action taken.  The regular review of our quality management system at the strategic level and canvassing of client views ensure that our service and policies are always focused on client needs.

We attach great importance to the contribution which all barristers and employees make to the quality of service provided and to the philosophy of continuous improvement.  Our committee and meeting structure encourage a policy of open communication and involvement to generate an innovative environment and to capitalise on useful ideas.  Resource and training requirements are regularly reviewed for staff, members and Chambers as a whole to ensure that all barristers and employees are able to develop their skills and fulfil their role in the implementation of this policy and contribute to the overall success of Chambers.

-Approved at a Chambers Meeting on 24th March 2003.

Client Complaint Procedures

We take pride in addressing effectively any client concerns and comments.  The management system operating within Chambers incorporates continuous improvement mechanisms for the monitoring of effectiveness against standard procedures and policies and the instigation of improvement initiatives when relevant.  We always welcome client feedback, good or bad, and annually seek our clients’ views on a random, sampling questionnaire basis.

We ask that you inform us of any difficulties that you may experience with our Chambers, its members or staff.  Full details of our Client Complaint Procedures are available on this site or through the Senior Clerk, Tony Hill.

Equal Opportunities

Chambers has made a commitment to equal opportunities practice and procedures.  These are fully detailed in Chambers’ Policy for Equal Opportunity, Non-Discrimination and Grievances.

Our premises have full facilities for those with disabilities.  We have made every effort to ensure this website is compliant with W3C guidelines.

Health and Safety

Our Health and Safety Policy is designed to ensure that we provide a working environment that is safe and secure for all visitors and personnel.  A copy is available upon request.

Environmental

As a responsible corporate citizenship, we accept our responsibilities towards the environment.  We are currently in the process of developing our Environmental Policy with a view to improving our environmental performance insofar as it is practicable to do so.  Our overall objectives include:

• Conserving energy and other scarce or non-renewable resources;
• Minimising the adverse environmental impacts of our activities by minimising emissions;
• Reducing the amount of waste generated to reduce the impact on the environment and developing effective methods of waste disposal, waste minimizing and waste re-use;
• Reduction of our overall “Carbon Footprint”;
• Implementing a “green” procurement policy.

Client Confidentiality

The responsibilities of all members of Chambers and staff and the procedures in place to prevent any breach of the duty of confidentiality are contained within our Policy for Client Confidentiality and When Acting on Opposite Sides within Chambers.  It also details the additional measures that may be instigated if a case is of a particularly sensitive nature.