Making a Complaint
(BEING UPDATED)
Last updated 11/06/09 14:25
If your complaint is not about conduct, you should first of all:
1) Complain to your solicitors:
The complaint should be in writing, giving the reasons for your complaint and asking for explanations.
All firms of solicitor should have their own internal complaints procedure and many complaints can be resolved amicably once full explanations are received. .
If you have not received any explanations or are not satisfied with the explanations received or your complaint is one of conduct, you can move to the next stage.
2) Complain to: The Legal Complaints Services.
Victoria Court, 8,Dormer Place, Leamington Spa, CV32 5AE Helpline 0845 608 6575 (Minicom service) or 0845 601 1682. Calls are charged at local rates.
The Legal Complaints Services, (formerly the OSS),is funded and run by the Law Society. It is staffed mainly by solicitors and ten of the Committee's 25 members are lay members. Therefore solicitors are in a majority.
Theoretically it was an independent body but the Law Society has removed the previous director and taken direct control. Its inefficiency is so great that the present Lord Chancellor gave the OSS until the end of the year 2000 to put its house in order.
The OSS has published its Annual Report for 1999. It appears that they received 20,352 new cases during that year. Of these, 17,177 were complaints.
The OSS has the power to reduce your bill and can award compensation for poor service of up to £5,000.
Complainants Generally: If your complaint to the OSS is about poor service, that your instructions have not been followed, negligence or conduct, ensure that your complaint is examined for poor service and conduct first. The OSS will not deal with negligence by solicitors and may try to sideline all your complaints into negligence. Keep dated notes and records of calls to the OSS as you will not necessarily be sent a letter of confirmation and disputes can arise later.
The OSS will not deal with cases of negligence but they can put you in touch with a negligence panel solicitor.
If you are not satisfied with the way the OSS has dealt with your complaint:
3) Complain to: THE OFFICE OF THE LEGAL SERVICES OMBUDSMAN
22, Oxford Court, Oxford Street, Manchester, M2 3WQ Tel. 0161 236 9532
The LSO has the power to ensure that the OSS or the solicitor pays any award made by her..
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