Today, the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) is publishing the second article in its new Spotlight insight series – focusing on complaints about third-party delays.
Delay, failure to progress, and communication account for almost half of the complaint types LeO receives. One of the most common features in complaints about delay is whether a service provider is responsible for, or could have influenced a delay caused by, a third party or an event outside of its control.
The article sets out what LeO expects to see from service providers for their service to be considered reasonable, and some tips about how to handle complaints related to third-party delays should they arise.
LeO recognises that third-party delays can be burdensome to legal service providers too, and that many providers work very hard to deliver good standards of service despite the challenge such delays can present. That said, our casework shows that there is still room for improvement. As so often, good communication is key.
We have also published three new case studies to accompany the Spotlight article. Within these, we have shown whether or not a case fee was charged – and explained why. Almost half of the complaints that come to us are assigned to our early resolution team – and complaints resolved by this team incur no case fee. We have published two examples of these types of complaints in the case studies.
Chief Ombudsman, Paul McFadden, said:
“LeO is committed to sharing more of its unique insight to help improve legal complaints handling. Our new ‘Spotlight’ series gives constructive feedback and guidance on issues we frequently see.
The resources we are publishing today highlight a feature of many of the complaints we see: the impact of delays outside of a legal service provider’s control. Third-party delays are common, are seen across all areas of law, and can cause serious issues for consumers and service providers alike.
Whilst LeO won’t generally hold service providers responsible for delays they did not cause or could not have avoided, effective communication and managing clients’ expectations from the outset both play an important role in preventing complaints arising in the first place.”
