Practice Management Assessment Tool
October 22, 2021We are pleased to announce that the formal launch of the online Practice Management Assessment Tool (“Assessment Tool”), pursuant to the Firm Regulation Rules, will begin on November 1, 2021.
As you may recall from our earlier communications, volunteer firms were sought to participate in the initial launch of the Assessment Tool which is now nearly concluded. We are happy to share that the initial launch has been very successful with the vast majority of Designated Representatives finding it a valuable experience and time well spent. Here is a snapshot of some of the shared experiences firms had in engaging in the Assessment Tool process:
“I think this is an excellent Tool and we will be using the questions and our answers in our practice manual and in implementing practices and procedures at the firm”
– Leanne Johnson, Partner at Edge Family Law
“Overall, I enjoyed the experience. I found it quite valuable to review our internal policies and procedures with respect to a number of the items touched on in the assessment and the workbook. It really helped me identify areas for improvement within the firm,
which will help the firm drive process management. I think the assessment is a great tool for firms to undertake and reflect on their current processes, which hopefully will drive improvement in all areas.”
– Mark Dolan, Managing Partner at Lakefield LLP
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the firms that volunteered to participate in the initial launch, their engagement with this process has been invaluable. The experiences of these firms and the feedback we received provided us with the opportunity to make some adjustments and improvements to the Assessment Tool resulting in a better product for all firms going forward. We continue to welcome any feedback Designated Representatives may have regarding their experiences with the Assessment Tool process.
Pursuant to Rule 906 all law firms in Saskatchewan will be required to complete the Assessment Tool. The roll out of the Assessment Tool will occur over the course of the next three years, meaning 1/3 of firms will be required to complete the online Assessment Tool in each year. A percentage of firms will be asked to complete the Assessment Tool each quarter and will have 3 months to complete it once they receive the link via email. As such, firms who are scheduled to complete the Assessment Tool in the first quarter of 2022, can expect to receive notice and their link on November 1, 2021, with a completion deadline of February 1, 2022. The next group of firms will receive their notice and link on February 1, 2022 with a completion deadline of May 1, 2022, and so on. In most cases, a firm will only be required to complete the Assessment Tool once every three years.
As the Designated Representative, when your firm is required to complete the Assessment Tool, you will receive detailed information and instructions with the email link to the online Assessment Tool from firmregulation@lawsociety.sk.ca. In the interim, Designated Representatives may wish to log into the DR Hub (member login required) and take a look at the Workbooks that support the online Assessment Tool to discover some of the benefits of this process.
If you would like to complete the Assessment Tool now, or if at any time your firm would like to be scheduled to complete the Assessment Tool, please reach out to us at firmregulation@lawsociety.sk.ca and we will make best efforts to accommodate that request.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.