Office for Legal Complaints publishes 2025/26 Annual Report and Accounts

The Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) has today published its 2025/26 Annual Report and Accounts.

The report highlights how the Legal Ombudsman (LeO), which resolves complaints about legal services in England and Wales, delivered its service between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026. It also explains how the OLC ensured it provided value for money for both the public and the legal profession during a year of unprecedented demand for its service.

In 2025/26, LeO:

  • Received more than 14,000 new complaints from customers, a 37% increase on the previous year.
  • Resolved 8,199 complaints, remaining within its published business plan performance ranges despite the sustained growth in demand.
  • Resolved more than half of all complaints through its early resolution process, helping customers reach fair outcomes as quickly as possible.
  • Developed and piloted a Model Complaints Resolution Procedure, working with legal service providers, regulators and consumer organisations to improve complaints handling at source.
  • Expanded its learning and insight work through public interest decisions, case studies, Spotlight articles and tailored support for organisations generating high volumes of complaints.
  • Continued to invest in its people and culture, reducing staff turnover while strengthening development opportunities, wellbeing support and staff engagement.
  • Continued to improve operational efficiency through process improvements, revised onboarding approaches and the introduction of digital and AI-enabled tools.

OLC Chair Ric Blakeway said:

"Against a backdrop of unprecedented demand, this report shows how LeO has continued to deliver for its customers, whilst also strengthening its contribution to improvement across the legal sector."

"Complaints should not be seen simply as problems to be resolved. They are a powerful source of learning that can help improve standards, strengthen accountability and build confidence in legal services. That is why LeO has continued to expand initiatives such as the Model Complaints Resolution Procedure and the publication of Ombudsman decisions.

"However, the scale of demand LeO is now seeing means transformation is essential. The future sustainability of the service depends on building a more agile and digitally enabled organisation that can respond effectively to changing customer needs and rising demand."

Chief Ombudsman Phil Cain said:

“More than 14,000 people turned to us for help in 2025/26 – a 37% increase on the previous year – yet we continued to deliver fair, independent outcomes for consumers while improving how we work. This is testament to the dedication and professionalism of LeO colleagues during a year of unprecedented demand.

"At the same time, this year has also confirmed that rising demand cannot be addressed through incremental change alone. While innovation, digital tools and process improvements have helped us become more efficient, they will not by themselves deliver the step change required to reduce waiting times and improve the overall customer experience.

"That is why we have begun delivering our Vision 2030. Our ambition is to build a more agile, digitally enabled scheme that not only resolves complaints effectively, but uses its insight and experience to help prevent problems arising in the first place. By transforming how we operate, we can create a more sustainable and accessible service for consumers and the legal sector alike."

A full copy of the 2025/26 Annual Report and Accounts is available here.

Notes

  • The Legal Ombudsman scheme (LeO) was established by the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) under the terms of the Legal Services Act 2007 (the Act). The Act also established the Legal Services Board (LSB) to oversee the regulation of the legal profession in England and Wales. Both the OLC and the LSB are arm’s-length bodies of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). LeO’s work supports and aligns with the regulatory objectives.
  • LeO resolves complaints about legal services that legal providers haven’t resolved to customers’ satisfaction – as quickly and informally as possible. LeO covers the majority of legal services provided in England and Wales. The rules and limits about what complaints LeO can help with are set out on its website.
  • 2025/26 marks the second year of the OLC’s 2024-27 Strategy for the Legal Ombudsman – focused on two objectives of service and impact. The OLC’s current strategies and business plans for LeO are published in full and available here.