Complaints About Legal Services

All regulated law firms are required to have a written complaints procedure and to tell clients how to complain. You should find the complaints information in the firm's client care letter or on their website. Your first step is always to write a formal complaint to the firm's designated complaints handler (often a senior partner or the firm's COLP — Compliance Officer for Legal Practice).

Your complaint letter should include:

• Your file reference number or matter name
• A clear description of what went wrong and when
• The impact the problem has had on you — financial loss, distress, or a missed legal deadline
• What outcome you want — a fee reduction, compensation, an explanation, or an apology

Firms regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority must acknowledge your complaint promptly and provide a final response within 8 weeks. Keep copies of all correspondence. If the firm fails to respond within 8 weeks, or sends a final response you are unhappy with, you can escalate to the Legal Ombudsman.

The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) is an independent body that resolves service complaints about regulated legal service providers in England and Wales. It can deal with complaints about:

• Solicitors, barristers, licensed conveyancers, will writers, and other regulated providers
• Poor service — unreasonable delays, failure to follow instructions, poor communication, failure to keep you informed of costs
• Costs disputes where you believe you have been overcharged

You must contact the Legal Ombudsman within one year of the act or omission complained of, or within one year of becoming aware of the problem (whichever is later). You must also have raised the complaint with the firm first and either received a final response or waited at least 8 weeks without receiving one.

To complain, complete the online form at legalombudsman.org.uk or call 0300 555 0333. The ombudsman will investigate and may order the legal service provider to:

• Apologise
• Reduce or refund fees (up to the full amount paid)
• Pay compensation for financial loss or distress of up to £50,000
• Correct the error or complete the work

The Legal Ombudsman deals with poor service; the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) deals with misconduct. Misconduct is behaviour that falls below the professional and ethical standards required of a solicitor, such as:

• Dishonesty or fraud
• Misappropriation of client money
• Acting in a conflict of interest without disclosure or consent
• Breaching confidentiality
• Discrimination or harassment
• Persistent failure to comply with regulatory requirements

To report a solicitor to the SRA, use the online report form at sra.org.uk. The SRA will investigate and can impose sanctions ranging from a formal rebuke to a fine or suspension to striking the solicitor off the roll (removing their right to practise). The SRA does not award compensation — if you want financial redress, use the Legal Ombudsman route.

You can report to both the SRA and the Legal Ombudsman if the same facts give rise to both a service complaint and a conduct concern. The two processes are separate and parallel.

If you believe your solicitor has overcharged you, you have several options:

• Raise a costs dispute through the firm's complaints procedure and then the Legal Ombudsman if not resolved.
• Detailed assessment by the court: Under the Solicitors Act 1974, you can apply to the court for a detailed assessment of the bill within one month of receiving it (or up to 12 months in certain circumstances, with court permission). The court will scrutinise each item of the bill against the work actually done and the relevant standards.
• Challenging a conditional fee agreement: If you entered into a no-win no-fee agreement (CFA) and the success fee seems excessive, this can also be assessed by the court.

The Legal Ombudsman can order fee reductions, but court-based detailed assessment may be more appropriate for large or complex bills. Seek independent legal advice before commencing detailed assessment proceedings, as they can be costly if the bill is not reduced significantly.