UK Law Society Receives Complaints-Handling Targets

by Robin Pilgrim, LawAndTax-News.com, London

01 November 2004

Speaking on Thursday on the occasion of the launch of her office's new website, the UK's Legal Services Complaints Commissioner, Zahida Manzoor, issued the beleaguered Law Society with its first set of complaints-handling targets.

In her annual report, published earlier this year, Ms Mazoor revealed that although the Society's performance in terms of complaints-handling appeared to have improved in terms of quantity, with a reduction of its live caseload by around 1,090 cases, the Ombudsman's Office was satisfied with the way that complaints were dealt with in just 53.3% of cases.

This represented a drop from the 67.2% satisfaction level last year, and was well below the acceptable level of 75% stipulated by the Department of Constitutional Affairs.

The report went on to reveal that the Law Society had failed to meet all but one of its targets for turnaround times, and had reduced the number of cases being referred to the Office of the Legal Services Ombudsman (OLSO) substantially, for reasons that were not clear.

Under the stringent new standards unveiled last week, the Law Society must close 98% of its complaints cases within 18 months by this time next year. Over a three year period, this will be tightened to 99% of cases within twelve months.

According to reports, the Legal Services Complaints Commissioner announced that she intended to stand firm with regard to the new targets.

"I set the destination - it is for the Law Society to get there," she observed, adding that: "Telling me that it cannot be done just will not wash."

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