The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has today announced the publication of enhanced guidance on remedies, designed to help legal service providers resolve complaints more promptly and fairly.
In the 2024/25 financial year alone, LeO awarded over £3.7 million in remedies when resolving complaints about legal services. Notably, compensation for emotional effects was the most common remedy, appearing in over 85% of complaints where service failings were identified.
Many complaints that reach LeO have not received appropriate remedies at first tier. To help address this, LeO’s updated guidance offers practical support to help providers better identify and calculate suitable remedies at an early stage.
The enhanced guidance outlines a fair and consistent process for evaluating and offering remedies. It encourages legal service providers to determine appropriate remedy amounts, reassure clients of their fairness, and clearly communicate the reasoning behind such decisions. Additionally, by resolving issues earlier, providers can redirect resources previously used on escalated complaints to other essential casework.
Alongside the guidance, LeO is also releasing the latest in its Spotlight insight series – an article focusing on compensation for emotional effects accompanied by three new case studies.
These resources reflect LeO’s ongoing commitment to supporting legal professionals and ensuring that clients receive fair, timely, and transparent resolutions to their complaints.
