Complaint about a Lawyer ? Changes from October - Legal Ombudsman

[Amethyst]

From 6 October 2010 anyone with a complaint about a lawyer registered in England and Wales should go to the new Legal Ombudsman.

Legal Ombudsman

Rather than the LCS

• Legal Complaints Service (LCS) for solicitors. (link opens in new window)
• Bar Standards Board (BSB) for barristers. (link opens in new window)
• Council of Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) for Licensed Conveyancers. (link opens in new window)
• Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX) for Legal Executives. (link opens in new window)
• Intellectual Property Regulation Board (IPreg) for the Patent Attorney and Trade Mark Attorney professions. (link opens in new window)
• Association of Law Costs Draftsmen (ALCD) for Law Costs Draftsmen. (link opens in new window)
• Master of Faculties for Notaries. (link opens in new window)
• Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) for probate services. (link opens in new window)
All these bodies are open and you can contact them directly. They will stop being about to accept new complaints on 5 October 2010. They have until 31 March 2011 to deal with your complaint. If it is not completed by then it will be passed to the Legal Services Ombudsman (LSO) for conclusion. (link opens in new window)

[marshallka]

Re: Complaint about a Lawyer ? Changes from October - Legal Ombudsman

http://www.justice.gov.uk/news/announcement071010a.htm
Customers dissatisfied with their lawyers can now take complaints to a new national ombudsman.
Justice Minister Jonathan Djanogly officially launched the Legal Ombudsman service at its HQ in Birmingham city centre.
The independent service, funded by a levy on the legal profession, will make the complaints process simpler for customers and smoother for law firms.
It can impose penalties on lawyers found to be at fault, ranging from demanding apologies to compensation payments of up to £30,000.

[di30]

Re: Complaint about a Lawyer ? Changes from October - Legal Ombudsman

I was about to mention about the Lawyer Ombudsman service, as I posted up a link of this the other day, that's the one Marshallka. X

[The Debt Star]

Re: Complaint about a Lawyer ? Changes from October - Legal Ombudsman

My understanding is that clients still need to complain to the SRA once they have exhausted the law firm's internal complaints procedures, and then, if the complaint is unresolved by the SRA, they go to the Legal Ombudsman.

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Complaint about a Lawyer ? Changes from October - Legal Ombudsman

also worth a mention so their is no confusion if you complaint is regarding a solicitor acting against you your complaint has to go to the SRA and not the LOS