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The Legal Profession
Guide to ISO 9001:2000
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THE LEGAL PROFESSION
GUIDE TO ISO 9001:2000
COPYRIGHT
Standards Australia International
All rights are reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or copied in any form or by anymeans, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without the written permission of the
publisher.
Published by Standards Australia International LtdGPO Box 5420, Sydney, NSW 2001, Australia
ISBN 0 7337 3708 0
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PREFACE
This Handbook is a revision of AS/NZS 3905.6:1995, Quality systems guidelines, Part 6: Guide
to AS/NZS ISO 9001:1994 for the legal profession, which is now withdrawn.
The primary objective of this Handbook is to provide lawyers with guidance on the application
and implementation of ISO 9001:2000, Quality management systemsRequirements.
A second objective is to advise those lawyers who already have a quality management system
based on ISO 9001:1994, what the differences are between that Standard and the current
version, thus providing guidance on what changes they need to make to their system to align
with the current Standard.
This Handbook includes the clauses of ISO 9001:2000 followed by guidance to each clause
using language and examples relevant to the profession.
Copies of ISO 9000:2000, Quality Management systems Fundamentals and vocabulary, and
ISO 9004:2000, Quality management systems Guidelines for performance improvements
(referred to in this Handbook) can be obtained from Standards Australia and Standards New
Zealand.
Acknowledgement
This Handbook was prepared by
Ms S. Thaler Thomson Legal & Regulatory Group Asia Pacific
Mr G. Bell NETGM.Com Pty Ltd
Mr G. le Roux NETGM.Com Pty Ltd
Mr M. Noyce Noyce Lawyers
Mr A. Thorpe Minter Ellison
The Handbook was submitted for review and comment prior to publication to the following:
Law Institute of Victoria
Law Society of South Australia
Law Society of Tasmania
The Law Council of Australia
The Law Society of NSW
The Law Society of the Northern Territory
The Law Society of WA
Queensland Law Society Incorporated
Deacon Graham and James
Gadens Lawyers
Gishenan and Luton.
The contribution of all these parties is gratefully acknowledged.
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CONTENTS
Page
FOREWORD..............................................................................................................................5
WHAT IS NEW IN ISO 9001:2000?..........................................................................................8
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 10
0.1 General........................................................................................................................... 10
0.2 Process approach............................................................................................................ 12
0.3 Relationship with ISO 9004 ...........................................................................................15
0.4 Compatibility with other management systems .............................................................. 16
1 SCOPE ................................................................................................................................17
1.1 General........................................................................................................................... 171.2 Application..................................................................................................................... 18
2 NORMATIVE REFERENCE..............................................................................................19
3 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS ............................................................................................. 20
4 QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ..............................................................................22
4.1 General requirements .....................................................................................................22
4.2 Documentation requirements.......................................................................................... 23
5 MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITY................................................................................. 29
5.1 Management commitment .............................................................................................. 295.2 Customer focus............................................................................................................... 30
5.3 Quality policy................................................................................................................. 31
5.4 Planning ......................................................................................................................... 32
5.5 Responsibility, authority and communication.................................................................35
5.6 Management review .......................................................................................................38
6 RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ...........................................................................................40
6.1 Provision of resources ....................................................................................................40
6.2 Human resources............................................................................................................ 40
6.3 Infrastructure.................................................................................................................. 43
6.4 Work environment.......................................................................................................... 43
7 PRODUCT REALIZATION................................................................................................44
7.1 Planning of product realization....................................................................................... 44
7.2 Customer-related processes ............................................................................................ 46
7.3 Design and development ................................................................................................49
7.4 Purchasing...................................................................................................................... 56
7.5 Production and service provision....................................................................................59
7.6 Control of monitoring and measuring devices ................................................................65
8 MEASUREMENT, ANALYSIS AND IMPROVEMENT ................................................... 66
8.1 General........................................................................................................................... 66
8.2 Monitoring and measurement ......................................................................................... 668.3 Control of nonconforming product .................................................................................71
8.4 Analysis of data.............................................................................................................. 72
8.5 Improvement .................................................................................................................. 73
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BIBLIOGRAPHY..................................................................................................................... 77
ANNEX A QUALITY ASSURANCE IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM
LARGE LAW FIRM ..........................................................................................78
ANNEX B BRIEF OUTLINE OF CERTIFICATION/REGISTRATION...............................90
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FOREWORD
General
In 1995, in both Australia and New Zealand, lawyers were looking for new ways to improve thequality of their service to clients. In any approach to quality, a legal practice then had, and still
has available a wide range of quality options to consider. These included the approaches of total
quality management (TQM), quality system management (ISO 9001), quality assurance and
quality control. Of course, the decision as to which was the most appropriate approach was one
that each legal practice had to make for itself.
To assist the profession, the Guide to ISO 9001:1994 for the legal profession1
was published to
provide guidance for lawyers needing to understand the quality system approach and what the
then three quality system Standards required to be done.
As business has evolved, it has become necessary to revise the Standard to keep pace with the
changes in business practices and the next version, ISO 9001:2000 has just been published. The
2000 version of the Standard is now based on a process approach to quality managementsystems, and includes a greater focus on client needs and expectations, greater involvement of the
executive management, a requirement for continual improvement of the quality management
system and an emphasis on staff competence. There are other changes and these are discussed in the
Section What is new in ISO 9001:2000? on page 8.
This Handbook provides guidance to the legal profession in relation to ISO 9001:2000.
Where the advice previously offered in relation to ISO 9001:1994 is still relevant, it has been
carried over into this Handbook. However, the Handbook also identifies what has changed or
been added between ISO 9001:1994 and ISO 9001:2000, indicating what changes a legal
practice would need to make to bring its quality management system in line with the latest
requirements.As noted above, the 2000 version now contains a requirement for a commitment for continual
improvement. Lawyers looking to go beyond this requirement can also consider ISO 9004:2000
Quality management systemsGuidelines for performance improvements. Of course, there are
other options, such as the business improvement or business excellence models.
If you consider it to be a viable business option, you can also obtain certification that your firm
meets the requirements of the Standard. Some government and institutional clients may require
their lawyers to be certified as quality service providers as a condition of doing their work in
future.
Unlike the 1994 editions of the ISO 9000 series, the 2000 edition contains only one
requirement Standard. It does contain provisions to enable certain parts to be excluded
(permissible exclusions) and these are identified and discussed in this Handbook.
1 Published in Australia and New Zealand as AS/NZS 3905.6:1995
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Design
In preparing these Guidelines, it was recognized that the legal profession would require
guidance on how to apply the concepts of design and development. They have been presented
as applying when a Practice takes on a significantly new area of activity. The issue is that the
activity is new in relation to the normal activities of the practice, not to the profession. Theseconcepts are discussed further in Clause 7.3.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality and privilege are among the very keystones of professional practice.
The issue of confidentiality arises if you decide to seek certification of your quality
management system. The certifying body, during both the initial and ongoing audits for
certification, may need to have some form of check on your client files to satisfy itself that the
procedures and processes of your quality management system are being adhered to. You should
enter into some arrangement with the certification body with respect to confidentiality, similar
to that which exists with your financial auditor. The issue of legal privilege may also dictate the
extent to which the certification body can have access to files.You should also recognize that the external audit is carried out on a sample procedure basis. In
practical terms, particularly in larger firms, it is not always possible to speak to each lawyer or
to inspect every client file. Inspection will only be on a sample basis.
To ensure that you maintain a duty of confidentiality to clients, you could take either of the
following approaches to deal with the requirements of the certifying body:
Files and their contents are disclosed to certifying bodys auditors with the consent of the
client and you should ensure that approval to do this is included in the terms of
engagement. (It should be made clear that the client can withdraw consent at any time
and that refusal to allow external auditors to view files does not affect the quality of your
work.)
Where the client does withhold consent for the certifying bodys auditors to view files or
you are aware that the files contain sensitive material you could arrange that the
certifying bodys auditors do not view client files but are accompanied by your internal
auditor who will review files for compliance with specified criteria and inform the
external auditors of the extent of compliance or non-compliance.
Application
ISO 9001:2000 has an Introduction and eight main Clauses:
Clause 1 Scope
Clause 2 Normative reference
Clause 3 Terms and definitions
Clause 4 Quality management system
Clause 5 Management responsibility
Clause 6 Resource management
Clause 7 Product realization
Clause 8 Measurement, analysis and improvement
The Standard states what is to be done but not how. Therefore, quality management systems may
vary from firm to firm reflecting such factors as the nature of the practice, management policy and
objectives, personnel and the complexity of operations.
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A large firm may have completely different procedures and processes than, say, a three-partner firm.
Nevertheless, they can both comply with the Standard. The key issue is that the operating
procedures should reflect the way the practice conducts its business. Neither ISO 9001 nor this
Handbook should be taken as prescriptive, but rather used as a basis to establish a workable quality
management system.
Certification
If you are considering having your quality management system certified, or if your firm is
already certified to the 1994 version of ISO 9001 (or ISO 9002), this Handbook lists the details
that the certification body will expect to see addressed in relation to the 2000 version.
You will need to consider the issue of exclusions as discussed in Clause 1.2, deciding what does
and does not apply to your firms activities. You should note that the exclusions can apply only
to the requirements listed in Clause 7, and only if they really do not apply to your firm.
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WHAT IS NEW IN ISO 9001:2000?
There are a number of fundamental changes that have taken place during the revision. The
major changes are.
Process approach
A process model approach has been used to develop the 2000 version of ISO 9001. As a result
the old 20 clause structure of the 1994 version has gone and the standard structure is now
more closely aligned to business working practices.
While at first glance, it would appear that the 2000 version has been completely rewritten, what
has actually happened is that the most of the content of the 1994 version has been redistributed
into the new process model structure. In doing so, the text may have been changed but in many
cases the intent of the clause has not. Consequently much of the guidance provided for the 1994
version is still relevant but has been relocated in this Handbook to the appropriate location.
However, it is true that new requirements have been added and the major ones are discussed
briefly here and in more detail in the guidance to the relevant clauses.
One beneficial outcome of the process approach is that the weighting given to the content via a
main clause and subclause structure is more appropriate to business needs. In the old 20 clause
approach the clause numbering gave undue weight to some aspects of relatively minor
importance.
One standard for certification
ISO 9001:2000 is now the only standard on which certification can be based. ISO 9002 and
ISO 9003 have been withdrawn. Provision has been made for those who had or were
contemplating certification to ISO 9002 or ISO 9003. This has been done through an
exclusions approach discussed in detail on page 18.
If your firm already has certification to ISO 9001:1994 or ISO 9002:1994, there is a three year
changeover period to the 2000 version. However, you should discuss the changeover process
with your certification body.
Terminology
The standard now identifies the supplier organization customer which is in line with
business practice. (This replaces the subcontractor supplier customer terminology of the
1994 version.) The term subcontractor has now disappeared.
In this Handbook, the term firm is used in place of organization.
Continual improvement
Your firm is now required to have a process of continual improvement built into your quality
management system.
NOTE: It is important to understand that continual improvement does not mean that it occurswithout a break or without ceasing. Instead, improvement should be interpreted as a repeated
activity to be implemented as each opportunity is identified and there is justification forproceeding.
Customer focus
The 2000 version now requires your firm to have a customer focus and to monitor customer
satisfaction which is one of the means to be used in evaluating the performance of your quality
management system.
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Internal communication
There is a clause which requires a firm to have an internal communication process to provide
information on the quality management system and its effectiveness.
Competency
In assessing human resources and in training, the issue of competency has been introduced and
will need to be addressed within your firm.
Less documented procedures demanded
The standard has shifted the onus for documentation from the standard to the organization. The
standard now requires only 6 procedures. You have to decide what other documentation is
needed to control your operations and processes.
Interaction between processes
There is a requirement for you to describe your firms processes and how they interact.
Data analysisThere is a requirement for your firm to analyse the data it acquires during its operations.
Outsourcing
Where you outsource any activity to another firm or organization, you now need to control the
outsourced activity to ensure that you are obtaining what you need.
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STANDARD Introduction
0.1 General
The adoption of a quality management system should be a strategic decision of anorganization. The design and implementation of an organization's qualitymanagement system is influenced by varying needs, particular objectives, theproducts provided, the processes employed and the size and structure of theorganization. It is not the intent of this International Standard to imply uniformity inthe structure of quality management systems or uniformity of documentation.
The quality management system requirements specified in this InternationalStandard are complementary to technical requirements for products. Informationmarked "NOTE" is for guidance in understanding or clarifying the associatedrequirement.
This International Standard can be used by internal and external parties, includingcertification bodies, to assess the organizations ability to meet customer,regulatory and the organization's own requirements.
The quality management principles stated in ISO 9000 and ISO 9004 have beentaken into consideration during the development of this International Standard.
GUIDANCE The standard is a specification for an internationally recognized way of
running a business where client satisfaction is a prime goal. It specifies the
minimum requirements and in any implementation, you need to bear this in
mind. The resultant quality management system may be assessed and may
result in certification by a recognized body. However, the standard itself does
not require certification.
The standard aims to give confidence to your clients that your firm is well run. It
requires you to prove your ability to meet client requirements and any associated
legal and regulatory requirements, by having records that show how well you
have performed in the past. This should provide a high degree of confidence to
prospective clients and thereby reassure them.
A quality management system complements the legal and technical aspects of
your services, encouraging you to build a commercially viable system. This
standard provides the framework for good management practices that you can
apply.
The Standard specifies a set of activities that need to be included but does not
say how you do them thus giving you considerable freedom in how you meet therequirements of the standard. You need to build your management around your
existing system, i.e. what you currently do. Only in the parts where you do not
meet the requirements do you need to improve your methods.
NOTE: If you had a system that met the 1994 edition of ISO 9001 or ISO 9002,
then it should be relatively simple to upgrade it to meet this new version.
Do not believe anyone who tries to tell you that the whole thing needs
rewriting because the standard has changed. While some parts may need
to be rewritten to address new features, most of what you already have
should still be applicable. If you do feel it necessary to rewrite, it might be
a ideal opportunity to review your system and include those improvements
that you felt appropriate, but never had the time to include.
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Whilst the standard puts emphasis on the client, it also brings out the importance
of other interested parties, the shareholders (partners) and the employees all of
whom expect to gain from an enterprise.
Emphasis on your client is seen as important because your aim should be to
satisfy your clients expectations, or if this is not necessarily feasible to explainto your client the likely outcomes of any service provided.
The standard now includes the concept of continual improvement of the quality
management system. This is seen as important because if you are not making
improvements you will be losing ground to your competition. The standard takes
a holistic approach starting with initial discussions with the potential client
through to final delivery of the service and then monitoring client satisfaction.
Support services, such as reception, accounts and secretarial support, are
frequently seen as not part of the quality management system because they are
not a direct part of the main money making process for the firm. However in a
service environment such as the legal profession, these functions are frequently
important to the quality of the service that the client receives and should beconsidered for inclusion.
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STANDARD 0.2 Process approach
This International Standard promotes the adoption of a process approach whendeveloping, implementing and improving the effectiveness of a qualitymanagement system, to enhance customer satisfaction by meeting customer
requirements.For an organization to function effectively, it has to identify and manage numerouslinked activities. An activity using resources, and managed in order to enable thetransformation of inputs into outputs can be considered as a process. Often theoutput from one process directly forms the input to the next.
The application of a system of processes within an organization, together with theidentification and interactions of these processes, and their management, can bereferred to as the "process approach".
An advantage of the process approach is the ongoing control that it provides overthe linkage between the individual processes within the system of processes, aswell as over their combination and interaction.
When used within a quality management system, such an approach emphasizesthe importance of
a) understanding and meeting of requirements,
b) the need to consider processes in terms of added value,
c) obtaining results of process performance and effectiveness, and
d) continual improvement of processes based on objective measurement.
The model of a process-based quality management system shown in Figure 1illustrates the process linkages presented in clauses 4 to 8. This illustration showsthat customers play a significant role in defining requirements as inputs. Monitoringof customer satisfaction requires the evaluation of information relating to customerperception as to whether the organization has met the customer requirements. Themodel shown in Figure 1 covers all the requirements of this International Standard,but does not show processes at a detailed level.
In addition, the methodology known as Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) can beapplied to all processes. PDCA can be briefly described as follows.
Plan: establish the objectives and processes necessary to deliver results in
accordance with customer requirements and the organization's policies.
Do: implement the processes.
Check: monitor and measure processes and product against policies, objectives and
requirements for the product and report the results.
Act: take actions to continually improve process performance.
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STANDARD
Figure 1Model of a process-basedquality management system
GUIDANCE This standard is based on the conceptual model, shown in Figure 1 (above). It
highlights the main processes that are integral to this standard. Theseprocesses are also likely to already exist in your firm.
The model indicates that everything to do with quality starts and ends with the
client. In the diagram, the client (customer) is shown on both the left and right.
Normally it will be the same client, but it could be a different one.
The main process flow that delivers your product and/or service is shown across
the lower part of the figure, product realization.
The discussions and instructions from your client (what your client wants)
becomes an inputto your quality management system (shown in the diagram as
the ellipse). This input feeds into the product realization box, which includes
all the activities within your firm relating to planning and delivery of thedelivery of the service. The outputis the service you deliver to your client.
The model highlights the importance of obtaining information on client
satisfaction. This and other measurements and evaluations become vital
feedbackon your firms performance. (See the box titled measurement, analysis
and improvement.)
The rest of the model depicts activities that are considered fundamental to the
smooth operation of your process of service realization.
You need to ensure that you have adequate resources to assure the quality of
your product and/or service. Resources include space, equipment, materials and
people. You need to ensure that people are trained and are competent to do thetasks that you ask of them. You can act by adjusting resources in the light of the
information, which then improves the performance of the service realization.
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The box, management responsibility, is there to emphazise the need for
executive management to study the results of the feedback and other
information. It also covers the need for executive managers to set policy,
objectives and targets. Following from these there is a need for proper planning.
Planning includes the study of your processes to ensure that they are achieving
your objectives and targets.
The output from the box, titled measurement, analysis and improvement, may
suggest improvements to the quality management system, indicated as the arrow
pointing to the box at the top, titled continual improvement of the quality
management system.
At the initiative of executive management, potential improvements should also
be investigated and appropriately implemented. So there are two mechanisms for
making improvements:
As part of the quality management system (depicted by the arrows of the
inner loop). This includes nonconformity rectification, corrective action
and preventive action.
Review processes, and in particular management review, which look
critically at the whole quality management system and make
improvements to it.
Hence the process model in Figure 1, ties together the concepts of quality
assurance to continual improvement and total quality management. If you are
interested in these concepts, you should read ISO 9004:2000, which is consistent
with ISO 9001:2000; the main clause headings are the same.
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STANDARD 0.3 Relationship with ISO 9004
The present editions of ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 have been developed as aconsistent pair of quality management system standards which have beendesigned to complement each other, but can also be used independently. Although
the two International Standards have different scopes, they have similar structuresin order to assist their application as a consistent pair.
ISO 9001 specifies requirements for a quality management system that may beused for internal application by organizations, or for certification, or for contractualpurposes. It focuses on the effectiveness of the quality management system inmeeting customer requirements.
ISO 9004 gives guidance on a wider range of objectives of a quality managementsystem than does ISO 9001, particularly for the continual improvement of anorganizations overall performance and efficiency, as well as its effectiveness.ISO 9004 is recommended as a guide for organizations whose top managementwishes to move beyond the requirements of ISO 9001, in pursuit of continualimprovement of performance. However, it is not intended for certification or for
contractual purposes.
GUIDANCE The clause is self-explanatory and needs little additional guidance. The key
point is that the 2000 versions of 9001 and 9004 now have a common clause
structure which simplifies the use of the two standards in conjunction with
each other.
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STANDARD 0.4 Compatibility with other management systems
This International Standard has been aligned with ISO 14001:1996 in order toenhance the compatibility of the two standards for the benefit of the usercommunity.
This International Standard does not include requirements specific to othermanagement systems, such as those particular to environmental management,occupational health and safety management, financial management or riskmanagement. However, this International Standard enables an organization toalign or integrate its own quality management system with related managementsystem requirements. It is possible for an organization to adapt its existingmanagement system(s) in order to establish a quality management system thatcomplies with the requirements of this International Standard.
GUIDANCE Much of the above is self-explanatory. If you are contemplating having a
management system that includes other aspects, such as health, safety andenvironment, you will be pleased to know that this new version has been
aligned with ISO 140012.
This should make it easier for you to integrate your systems when you are ready
to do so.
If you have experience with ISO 9001:1994 or ISO 9002:1994, you may wish to
take this extra step and revise your quality management system and integrate it
with an occupational health and safety and/or an environmental management
system. The effort in achieving this will pay off in a simpler more efficient
system for running your business.3
2 Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand have published occupational health and safety
guidance standards, AS 4801:1999 (NZS 4801:1999) and AS/NZS 4804:1997. These use ISO 14001
and ISO 14004 respectively as models, and use a concept model very similar to the model shown in
Figure 1.
3 For assistance with integration see AS/NZS 4581:1999,Management system integrationGuidance
to business, government and community organizations, and HB 139(Int):1999 Step by Step
Guidance on Integrating Management Systems Health and Safety, Environment, Quality.
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STANDARD 1 Scope
1.1 General
This International Standard specifies requirements for a quality managementsystem where an organization
a) needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide product that meetscustomer and applicable regulatory requirements, and
b) aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of thesystem, including processes for continual improvement of the system and theassurance of conformity to customer and applicable regulatory requirements.
NOTE. In this International Standard, the term product applies to the product intended
for, or required by, a customer .
GUIDANCE WHERE THE STANDARD APPLIES
A major key to providing a standard of service that consistently meets theclient's expectations lies in using a quality management system to control the
processes that deliver that service. This allows you to demonstrate to existing
and potential clients that your firm possesses a quality management system
designed to deliver quality legal services.
This system must comply with all relevant legislative or regulatory obligations.
Where the requirements of this standard conflict with any legislation, that
legislation takes precedence.
The standard does not address directly the accuracy of legal advice, though a
number of clauses do have the effect of controlling and preventing inaccurate
advice. The standard deals with the quality of service delivery. Certification toISO 9001 can in no way be taken to imply the quality of the legal advice.
Many legal firms engage in other activities not directly related to the practice of
law, e.g. running a nominee company or acting as an agent for an insurance
company. Some practices have branch offices. If your firm does this and if you are
seeking certification, you should take care to specify exactly what part of your
business activities is to be assessed. You have the option of either including or
excluding non-legal services. You can arrange for certification to apply on a
branch-by-branch basis.
The relevant clause in ISO 9001:1994 is Clause 1.
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