Introduction 

A central aim of the Legal Ombudsman’s 2024-2027 strategy is to share learning and insights that help lead to better legal services for clients.

In line with that strategic aim, we are publishing our first quarterly complaints data. The data release covers the first quarter (Q1) of the 2025/26 financial year: 1 April to 30 June 2025.

The release includes data on the volume of complaints the Legal Ombudsman accepted and resolved in that period, and insight into the themes evident in those complaints.

All data is provisional and subject to confirmation in the final figures to be published in the Legal Ombudsman’s annual complaints data and insight report for 2025/26, due to be published in 2026.   

Q2 at a glance   

  • 1,746 new complaints were accepted either as an early resolution case, or for in-depth investigation. 
  • 54% of the complaints we accepted were assigned to early resolution. 
  • 47% of the complaint types we accepted were about poor communication (25%) and delay and failure to progress (22%).
  • 613 of the complaints accepted (35%) were about Residential Conveyancing, remaining the most complained-about area of law in Q2 2025/26.
  • 2,021 complaints were resolved.
  • LeO found evidence of poor service in 74% of investigative outcomes in Q2 2025/26, and evidence of poor complaints handling in 49%.
  • Over the last quarter, LeO awarded £1,085,101 in remedies to put things right.

About our process   

All the complaints that the Legal Ombudsman receives are initially assessed by a senior ombudsman. Each case is then assigned either to our early resolution team or passed on for in-depth investigation.    

A case that is sent for full investigation requires evidence to be submitted by both the consumer and service provider, which is reviewed by one of our investigators. Following the evidence review, the investigator's findings are shared with both parties. If either party does not agree to these findings the case may be passed to an ombudsman for a final decision. 

*Consistent with our aim to resolve all complaints as early as possible, we only assess the reasonableness of providers’ complaint handling and service where relevant. For example, we do not assess this in complaints that are resolved through early resolution, that have come to us prematurely, or in complaints we find to be out of jurisdiction.  

How many complaints did we accept?

  • In Q2 2025/26 we accepted 1,746 complaints. Of these, 937 (54%) were accepted as an early resolution case; this is a 4% increase compared to the previous quarter.
  • The area of law that saw the most complaints accepted in Q2 was Residential Conveyancing with 613 complaints (35%). This area of law sees a high volume of transactions, which may in part account for higher numbers of complaints generally. That said, this is the highest volume of complaints LeO has accepted about residential conveyancing in any quarter since Q1 of 2024/25

Complaints accepted by areas of law: 

  • Residential Conveyancing (613)
  • Personal Injury (234)
  • Wills and Probate (223)
  • Family law (174)
  • Litigation (165)
  •  Property (105)
  • Criminal Law (68)
  • Employment Law (51)
  • Immigration and Asylum (42)

How were complaints resolved in Q2?   

  • 934 (46%) complaints were resolved by early resolution. Resolving complaints quicker and reaching agreement in this way benefits both consumers and the service providers, as well as reducing the resource impact on our service.
  • 1,087 (54%) complaints needed an in-depth investigation to resolve, a one percentage-point increase on the previous quarter (53%).
  • Of the 1,087 complaints resolved by in-depth investigation, 352 (32%) were resolved by investigators, with 477 complaints (44%) needing ombudsman decisions following investigation by an investigator.
  • The largest number of complaints we resolved (either by early resolution or by an in-depth investigation) were about Residential Conveyancing (654 complaints), followed by Wills and Probate (318 complaints) and Personal Injury (257 complaints). 

Did we find evidence of poor service?*    

  • Evidence of poor service was assessed in 631 complaints in Q2. We found evidence of poor service in 466 (74%) of these complaints.
  • The area of law with the highest evidence of poor service was Residential Conveyancing (82%).
  • The second highest evidence of poor service was found in Property (76%); followed by Employment Law (75%).

Evidence of poor service by area of law:

  • Residential Conveyancing (82%)
  •  Property (76%)
  • Employment Law (75%)
  •  Immigration and Asylum (74%)
  • Personal Injury (73%)
  •  Wills and Probate (73%)
  • Litigation (71%)
  • Family law (63%)
  • Criminal Law (53%)

What were the most commonly upheld complaint types?   

Upheld complaint types are captured and recorded in in-depth investigation cases only, as not all the complaints we receive will require a full investigation. For example, we do not record this in complaints that are resolved through early resolution, that have come to us prematurely, or in complaints we find to be out of jurisdiction.   

Many complaints involve more than one issue. For example, a single complaint might cover delays, communication problems, and concerns about costs. When we find evidence that poor service has occurred, we identify and record the specific types of complaints that were upheld in each case. 

  • Poor communication remains the largest complaint type upheld (25%).
  • Delay and failure to progress complaint types have risen for the fifth consecutive quarter. In Q2 2025/26 they accounted for 19% of the complaint types we upheld.
  • Complaints upheld relating to costs have risen for the third consecutive quarter (13%).
  • Failure to advise complaints accounted for 9% of the complaint types upheld, down from 11% in the previous quarter.

Was the complaint handling by the service provider (first-tier) reasonable?*

  • 49% (311) of complaints with an investigative outcome showed evidence of poor complaint handing.
  • Immigration and Asylum recorded the highest proportion of poor complaints handling at 63%. This represents a 13% rise on Q1 2025/26.
  • Residential Conveyancing was the area of law with the second highest proportion of poor complaint handling (58%), followed by Personal injury (57%).
  • Poor complaint handling in Property reached 55%, an increase of 15% on Q1 2025/26.

Poor complaint handling found by area of law:

  • Immigration and Asylum (63%)
  • Residential Conveyancing (58%)
  • Personal Injury (57%)
  • Property (55%)
  • Criminal Law (53%)
  • Wills and Probate (49%)
  •  Employment Law (40%)
  • Family law (37%)
  • Litigation (36%)

How did we put things right?

  • A total of £1,085,101 was directed in remedies to put things right in Q2.
  • Among these complaints, compensation for emotional effects was awarded in 86% of the complaints where evidence of poor service was found.
  • A refund, reduction, or a waiver of a service providers’ costs was the second most common remedy, awarded in 30% of complaints where evidence of poor service was found, followed by compensation for financial loss (17%).
  • Compensation for emotional effects is frequently the most overlooked remedy at first tier. A significant number of complaints may have been resolved earlier had appropriate compensation for emotional effects been offered when service failings were acknowledged.