How to prevent complaints happening?

Anyone who provides a legal service to the public will experience a complaint at some point.

Each year we investigate thousands of complaints and the lessons that we learn from these can be useful to reflect upon with a view to ensuring that we are following best practice and doing everything we can to prevent complaints happening in the first place.


Overview of annual complaints data

The above link will take you to our annual complaints data reports. They focus on the main areas of law we receive complaints about and the most common issues we see, including case studies and useful resources for the profession. The reports aim to highlight how service providers can make improvements and resolve complaints themselves. 

 

Guidance: Responding to challenging situations

This guidance is intended to support service providers when they are responding to challenging situations and to help them understand the approach the ombudsman would expect. It sets out the areas we would expect you to consider when handling challenging situations.

An ombudsman's view of good cost service

Key trends in costs complaints and examples of cases resolved by the ombudsman.

Complaints in focus: Personal injury complaints

This report looks at personal injury complaints. We collaborated with The Association of Consumer Support Organisations (ACSO) members to discuss the issues facing service providers working in personal injury and this is our findings of the most common issues we investigate.

Thematic report: Immigration

This report focuses on the lessons which can be learned from the immigration and asylum
complaints the Legal Ombudsman has investigated, and the most common types and causes of
those complaints.

Complaints in focus: stamp duty

The issues behind a recent increase in complaints about the non-payment of stamp duty land tax.

Service provider guide

Losing the plot: Residential conveyancing complaints and their causes

The causes and trends of complaints in residential conveyancing.

The price of separation: Divorce related legal complaints and their causes

The causes and trends of complaints in divorce. 

Complaints in focus: No win, no fee agreements

Case studies to illustrate what can go wrong with Conditional Fee Agreements.

Complaints in focus: wills and probate

The types and causes of complaints about wills and probate services.