Co-regulation is effective and it meets the needs of the profession and the community. The restructure saw the movement of staff who previously carried out investigation into a litigation team and to support an undertaking to promote professional standards to the profession and the wider community through educational programs. New functions in relation to foreign lawyers and the National Legal Services Market have also been taken on. The Professional Standards Department has a management system which is certified under ISO9001. Certification was initially achieved in 1998 following intensive work by the department, which commenced late in 1996.
Maintenance of certification requires ongoing commitment of resources.
The cost to the Public Purpose Fund of supporting the Law Society's Professional Standards Department has reduced since the establishment of the Office of the Legal Services Commission. Staff numbers have also reduced from 32 to 27 positions. The investigation files of two investigators were distributed amongst remaining investigative staff to enable the litigation backlog to be ameliorated. Additional staff time is required for education and to support the Law Society's role in the National Legal Services Market and the regulation of foreign lawyers. The Office of the Legal Services Commission refers the more complex conduct complaints to the Professional Standards Department.