Section 5.7 of the 2022 Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) Core Practice Management Standards (CPMS) mandates that CQS accredited law firms must possess a Conflict Handling Policy. Nonetheless, numerous SROs may lack the proficiency to craft these specific policies and procedures. This can present a significant challenge within the accredited firms’ operations. For further details, refer to the official CQS documentation at CQS Core Practice Management Standards – Conflict Handling Policy.
A well-crafted CQS Conflict Handling Policy will encompass the prevention, detection, and mitigation of conflicts of interests to ensure that your lawyers conduct themselves in a principled manner. This includes:
- Acting with independence and integrity.
- Acting in the best interests of your clients.
- Prioritising the interests of the client.
- Declining the retainer of a client if it is deemed not to be in their best interest.
- Refusing to accept instructions from or continue representing a client whose interests directly conflict with your own, your entity’s, or another client’s.