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Private Draft QVM - Quality, Value, and Metrics

III. Establishing Measureable Quality Standards

Adapted to legal terminology from: QUALITY INDICATORS FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
PROGRAMS IN AUDIOLOGY AND SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY37

The purpose of the analysis is to establish universal measurable quality standards that will:

 Identify and describe indicators of quality in legal services;

 Assist in quality analyses in self-evaluation activities of law firms and corporate counsel; and

 Provide a guide for the development of policies and procedures that will facilitate the
measurable provision of legal services.

The principles underlying this analysis reflect accepted best practices and include many of the
components covered by existing policies of the ABA and the Law Society of England and Wales.
Some standards were developed for use in the accreditation of professional service programs and
provided necessary and minimum requirements in a variety of areas. Establishment of uniform
global standards would contribute to increasing the status of the legal profession. The initial
outcome would be to specify components that are typically present in quality legal services. Unlike
ethics, the guidelines would not constitute requirements.

The analysis would have to be self-explanatory. Its basis would be to create a framework for
programs in the development stages as well as to assist documentation of progress toward
improving measurable quality of service provisions by attorneys providing legal services to business
clients. Some of the functions of the quality indicators are to:

 Assist all professionals in the legal profession seeking to improve quality of legal service
delivery;

 Inform other professions, accrediting bodies, funding sources, and other regulatory agencies of
the essential elements of measurable quality in legal services;

 Guide the development of new programs to increase the quality of legal services at all levels;

 Provide a basic framework for self-evaluation, program modification, and future planning in
existing programs to document and improve quality;

 Demonstrate to facility administrators and governing bodies the goals to be achieved in
developing and providing quality legal services;

 Enable programs to generate a detailed written report of quality service provisions that might
be used to fulfill requirements of accrediting and regulatory agencies;

 Help students and practicing professionals understand the components involved in providing
quality legal services; and

 Educate business owners and corporate counsel on the indicators of quality legal services.

Quality standards and principles emphasize the currency, appropriateness, and effectiveness of
service delivery in the practice of business law. Concepts of individualization of services to the needs
of the businesses served, consideration of various service delivery models, interdisciplinary team

37 QUALITY INDICATORS FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICE PROGRAMS IN AUDIOLOGY AND SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY, http://www.asha.org/policy/ST2005-
00186/.

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