If you are unhappy with the service provided by your lawyer, you must first try to resolve the problem with the lawyer or firm concerned. If this is not successful, the Legal Ombudsman handles complaints about poor service provided by lawyers.
The Panel has carried out the first independent benchmarking report into the complaints handling performance of the Legal Ombudsman. We measured performance in four areas: caseload, timeliness, quality and cost. You can access the report below.
The Legal Ombudsman and the Legal Services Consumer Panel also jointly commissioned a report by YouGov into consumer experiences of the legal services market. This explores challenges and barriers faced by consumers during the complaints process in two ways by:
- Investigating consumer experiences of ‘first-tier’ complaints to lawyers, and
- Exploring key drivers for premature complaints to the Legal Ombudsman.
One of our priorities is the issue of complaints that are excluded when the person affected by the lawyer’s actions is not the client. These are known as third party complaints and our report on this can be found below.The Panel was recently invited to visit the Legal Ombudsman’s offices to examine cases which they were unable to accept and in September 2013 we published a selection of these case studies. The Legal Ombudsman has agreed to set up a steering group to look at this further.
The Legal Ombudsman now publishes the names of lawyers in cases involving formal ombudsman decisions. This is something we have been asking them to do for a long time. Our consultation responses on this issue, and independent research which we commissioned jointly with the Legal Ombudsman, can be found below.
Key documents
Date:
05 June 2014
Title:
Remapping consumer redress (pdf, 444kb)
Description:
Submission to the BIS call for evidence on implementing the ADR Directive
Date:
05 June 2014
Title:
BIS consultation on Implementing the ADR Directive (pdf, 160kb)
Description:
The Panel responds to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on implementing the ADR Directive
Date:
28 January 2014
Title:
LeO Strategy and budget 2014-17 (pdf, 80kb)
Description:
Response to the Legal Ombudsman consultation on their strategy and budget 2014-17
Date:
18 December 2013
Title:
Are Ombudsmen ready for the future? (pdf, 119kb)
Description:
Note of Consumer Panel seminar with UCL
Date:
5 December 2013
Title:
Benchmarking the Legal Ombudsman updated (pdf, 892kb)
Description:
The Panel publishes the first independent benchmarking report into the Legal Ombudsman’s complaints handling performance
Date:
30 September 2013
Title:
Response to Legal Ombudsman consultation on widening the scope of redress (pdf, 135kb)
Description:
The Panel’s response to the consultation on access to redress for legal and other professional services welcomes the proposal to create a voluntary scheme
Date:
24 September 2013
Title:
Third party complaints case studies (pdf, 244kb)
Description:
These case studies are based on real complaints which had to be turned away by the Legal Ombudsman and will help to inform the steering group on third party complaints
Date:
11 October 2012
Title:
Consumer Experience of Complaint Handling – Executive Summary (pdf, 752kb)
Description:
Executive summary of the two reports on consumer experience of complaint handling
Date:
11 October 2012
Title:
Consumer Experience of Complaint Handling – First-Tier Complainants (pdf, 1.7MB)
Description:
This report investigates the consumer experience of ‘first-tier’ complaints to lawyers
Date:
11 October 2012
Title:
Consumer Experience of Complaint Handling – Premature Complainants (pdf, 2MB)
Description:
This report explores why consumers make premature complaints to the Legal Ombudsman
Date:
13 June 2012
Title:
Consumer Panel responds to LeO consultation on scheme rules (pdf, 140kb)
Description:
Response to the Legal Ombudsman’s consultation on review of the scheme rules and case fee structure
Date:
7 June 2012
Title:
Third party complaints (pdf, 298kb)
Description:
A report on giving non-clients access to the Legal Ombudsman
Date:
7 November 2011
Title:
Panel reacts to Legal Ombudsman publishing complaints announcement (pdf, 130kb)
Description:
Press comment on the Legal Ombudsman’s announcment to publish the names of lawyers who provide poor service on a quarterly basis from July 2012
Date:
28 June 2011
Title:
LeO – Publishing our decisions (pdf, 107kb)
Description:
Response to the Legal Ombudsman’s second consultation on publishing decisions
Date:
31 March 2011
Title:
Panel reaction to Legal Ombudsman publishing complaints announcement (pdf, 112kb)
Description:
Press comment on the Legal Ombudsman’s announcement to delay a decision about whether to identify law firms subject to complaints
Date:
1 March 2011
Title:
Panel comments on the LSB’s First-tier complaint handling report [external link]
Description:
Press comment on the Legal Services Board’s report on the implementation of its first-tier complaint handling rule
Date:
24 February 2011
Title:
Public backs publishing complaints decisions (pdf, 114kb)
Description:
Press release on findings of consumer research into whether the Legal Ombudsman should identify law firms subject to complaints
Date:
24 February 2011
Title:
Identifying law firms subject to consumer complaints to the Legal Ombudsman (pdf, 750kb)
Description:
AIMR report on consumer perceptions of publishing names of lawyers subject to complaints
Date:
21 December 2010
Title:
Consumer Panel urges Legal Ombudsman to identify lawyers when publishing decisions (pdf, 89kb)
Description:
Press release alongside response to Legal Ombudsman discussion paper on publishing decisions
Date:
21 December 2010
Title:
LeO – Publishing Decisions (pdf, 163kb)
Description:
Response to the Legal Ombudsman’s first stage consultation on publishing their decisions
Date:
26 February 2010
Title:
LSB – First Tier Complaint handling (pdf, 99kb)
Description:
Response to Legal Services Board letter to approved regulators on a draft rule related to first-tier complaint handling
Date:
15 January 2010
Title:
Latest moves by the OLC (pdf, 94kb)
Description:
Response to a letter from the Office for Legal Complaints about its proposed arrangements for the transition period in the lead up to the Legal Ombudsman starting work
Date:
2 December 2009
Title:
Draft Scheme Rules (pdf, 135kb)
Description:
Response to the Office for Legal Complaints about the scheme rules that the Legal Ombudsman will use when handling complaints
Date:
13 November 2009
Title:
Case Fee (pdf, 107kb)
Description:
Response to the Office for Legal Complaints about the use of case fees to fund the operation of the Legal Ombudsman
