All departments within Forbes Solicitors are accredited to an external quality Certification. Quality is one of our brand values which also include client focused, teamwork, provision of practical advice and friendly and approachability. These values are an integral part of who we are and what we do. Delivery of these brand values helps us in providing a quality service to clients.

The quality Certifications held by Forbes are:

ISO 9001:2015

This is a Quality Management System which the firm has held since 1998. It has been written to cover the process of providing legal advice to clients in all areas of law (with the exception of Legal Aid Agency areas (Crime and Family), which are covered below - SQM). This system provides documentation (quality procedures and forms) on how the firm carries out its process to provide a quality service to our clients. Our Case Management System provides the IT infrastructure to support our ISO processes.

Investors In People

We have been awarded We Invest in People, Silver Accreditation. This is a national standard which Forbes has held since 1996 and covers the management and ongoing development of our staff. The Firm, through its HR (Human Resources) processes and policies continually strives to maintain and develop its work within this key area.

The Conveyancing Quality Scheme

The Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) provides a recognised quality standard for residential conveyancing practices. Membership achievement establishes a level of credibility for member firms with stakeholders (regulators, lenders, insurers and consumers) based upon:

• the integrity of the Senior Responsible Officer and other key conveyancing staff

• the firm's adherence to good practice management standards

• adherence to prudent and efficient conveyancing procedures through the scheme protocol

This scheme creates a trusted community which will deter fraud - year on year we will drive up standards.

Legal Aid Agency (LAA) & Criminal Legal Aid - SQM (Specialist Quality Mark)

This is a set of quality criteria which the Firm has to satisfy, in order to retain its LAA/Criminal Legal Aid SQM status. The Firm has a SQM Manual, which evidences how the Firm meets the quality criteria. Our PfW (Case Management System) supports our LAA/Criminal Legal Aid processes.

Other Certifications held:

ISO27001:2022 – Information Security Management System (ISMS)

The firm has held this certification since June 2024.  This certification demonstrates that we follow an internationally recognised best practice for information security.  This certification helps us to identify, assess and manage  information security risks.  We have implemented risk management processes to help identify threats, evaluate their effect, and implement appropriate mitigation strategies.  Our processes are audited by a third party annually and as a firm we are committed to and promote a culture of continuous improvement.

ISO22301: 2019 – Business Continuity Management System (BCMS)

The firm has held this certification since June 2024.  This certification demonstrates that we follow an internationally recognised best practice for business continuity.  This certification helps us be resilient to potential threats to the operation of the business and allows us to implement proactive measures to mitigate the impact of a disruption.  However should the firm experience a disruption then we have  a framework and strategies in place to recover efficiently and effectively ensuring  continuity of the service we provide to our clients and stakeholders.