Policy

8 November, 2007

Legal Services Complaints Commissioner announces that penalty will not be imposed on the Law Society

Complaints not handled in accordance with 2006 - 2007 Improvement Plan

The Legal Services Complaints Commissioner, Zahida Manzoor CBE, announced yesterday that the Law Society's complaints handling arm - the Legal Complaints Service (LCS) and the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) - will not be facing a financial penalty, despite not handling complaints in accordance with the 2006 - 2007 Improvement Plan.

The Commissioner said that, although consumers now receive a 'faster and better service in some areas', more still needs to be done and added that -

'It is disappointing that five of the thirteen targets I set were missed and that those missed related to the quality of complaints handling. However, there were also some encouraging signs of upturn in performance. The LCS and SRA met all three of their timeliness targets, exceeding the target for the number of cases closed within 12 months.'

In announcing the decision not to impose a penalty on the Law Society she said that the decision was -

'... finely balanced but my conclusion was that not levying a penalty was appropriate in the circumstances to reward the effort made and to incentivise sustained improvement.'

However, the Commissioner warned against future complacency by adding that -

'Sustaining improvements in all areas is something I place great importance on, and something I expect an organisation now out of its second improvement plan year to deliver.

The consumer and the legal profession should expect the LCS and SRA to not only meet all targets but to show an ambition to excel beyond them. I am concerned that early indications show that the LCS and SRA are falling behind the agreed 2007 - 2008 targets. The Law Society now needs to deliver on all aspects of its performance.'

Looking ahead to the formation of the new Office for Legal Complaints (OLC), she concluded that -

'The advent of the new independent complaints handling body (OLC) means a step forward is now essential to ensure the LCS is in shape and ready to hand over its operation to this future organisation.

Looking forward it is essential that the LCS and SRA costs become controlled down to a more sustainable amount. The current running cost of £36.3 million is substantially higher than the projected £19.9 million for the OLC. I have already commenced work to tackle this and will discuss with the Law Society how the LCS and SRA can meet the major challenge of closing this gap. Any savings that can be made should benefit the profession and ultimately the consumer.'

For more information, see the Ministry of Justice press release Law Society escapes penalty from Legal Services Complaints Commissioner.

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