How we've helped resolve complaints informally...


The following stories show how we've been able to help people with different kinds of problems and complaints.

Or click here to read our Ombudsman decisions to get a sense of what happens when a formal decision is needed to sort out a complaint.
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First class service?

This case is about buying property.
Mr Y had recently bought a house. It had all gone as smoothly as moving house could go, and, at the end, Mr Y asked his lawyer to send him some of the papers by recorded delivery. But they got lost. Read more...

Adding insult to injury

This case is about personal injury.
Mr A tripped over a paving slab in the street and fell, hurting his knee badly and scarring his face. His accident also left him feeling distressed and shaken up. He felt that he had fallen because of the wonky paving. He went to see a solicitor. Read more...

Getting the fax right?

This case is about family law litigation (residence order for children).
Mr W complained that his barrister had not followed his instructions regarding a final hearing to decide his child's residency. Mr W told us that he thought that his wishes had been set out in the faxes he had sent to his solicitor and in person at pre-hearing conferences. Read more...

Hampered by delay

This case is about buying property.
Miss W went to a solicitor to help her buy a new house. Things were going ok, but then completion was delayed. It meant that she had to pay stamp duty anyway. Miss W felt frustrated as her firm failed to return her calls and explain what was happening, and then, when the sale did go through, the title registration was delayed. Read more...

Time is money

This case is about wills and probate.
Mrs B's mother died unexpectedly after a serious illness. Her mother had made a will and it was with their trusted family solicitor who she went to see about the probate. Read more...

Relationship breakdown

This case is about family law (divorce).
Mrs G's marriage was breaking down. In early 2009 she finally went to a solicitor to seek a divorce. After speaking to the firm, she was granted legal aid for her case and the firm took it on. Read more...

Off plan, off putting

This case is about buying property.
Ms X came to the Ombudsman to help after she bought some property overseas 'off plan' but ran into trouble when she found the developers had breached their contract. So she employed a firm of solicitors to negotiate a settlement with the developers. Read more...

Take extra care

This case is about litigation (health care claim for negligence).
Mr P went to a solicitor after his aunt died of a heart attack in her care home. She was in her nineties. Her family disagreed with the cause of death and asked for an inquest. They thought Mr P's aunt had died because of negligence by the care home. Read more...

Seek and ye shall find (more than you bargained for?)

This case is about landlord and tenant issues.
In another of our cases, Mrs F, a private landlord came to us after she had been to a solicitor for advice on how to deal with a tenant she believed was breaching the terms of his contract. She thought the meeting was arranged just to seek advice – nothing more. Her understanding of what had happened was that she had not given the solicitor any instructions during that meeting and received no estimate of costs from them at the time. Read more...

Court out by costs

This case is about litigation (health care claim for negligence).
Mr K's dad died after being in a care home for a while. After he died, he got the bill from the care home. Mr K disagreed with the fees and the care home employed a lawyer to seek payment. So Mr K went to a solicitor to seek advice about how to respond as it looked like the case would go to court. Read more...

On the job

This case is about employment law (unfair dismissal).
Mr E and his colleague Mr F lost their jobs. Together they went to a solicitor as they thought they had been unfairly dismissed by their employer. The firm agreed to take on their case, and sent Mr E and his colleague a letter setting out the costs for the initial advice and for the work needed to prepare for a tribunal hearing. Read more...