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October 2008
Press statement
Commissioner's response to LCS withdrawal of proposal to publish solicitor's complaints records
Zahida Manzoor CBE, Legal Services Complaints Commissioner, has noted the Legal Complaints Service (LCS) decision not to proceed with the proposal to publish solicitors' complaints records, saying:
“I have always believed that, in principle, the publication of solicitors' complaints records is the way ahead. Consumers should be able to access a wide range of information on firms and individuals before they appoint a solicitor. This means providing the whole picture – solicitors that are excelling as well as those that have complaints lodged against them.
However, I have had reservations from the outset on the approach LCS selected to publish complaints. Information about adjudicated complaints on its own could never have been meaningful to the consumer as it represents such a small proportion of the complaints made against solicitors.
The decision not to progress will enable LCS to focus on reducing the backlog of complaints which is good news for consumers.
I hope that in the future, the Legal Services Board (LSB) and Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) in conjunction with the Law Society will broaden the scope of this work and look at how to help consumers make informed decisions on the solicitor they appoint and also how the overall service solicitors provide consumers can be improved – of which complaints is only part of the picture.”
