Customers of the legal ombudsman can expect to have complaints resolved in half the time next year, as the organisation continues to rapidly turn performance around.

The Office for Legal Complaints (OLC), which runs the ombudsman scheme, said the average customer journey time to resolve cases will be between 132 and 187 days by this time next year. That is down from the current average time of 289 days.

The earmarked reduction in waiting time is solely down to a dramatic fall in the front-end delays, with customers waiting between 45 and 100 days to have their case looked at, compared to 202 days currently.

The ombudsman is estimating it will resolve between 7,555 and 8,218 complaints in 2023/24. In the current year the organisation has managed to close around 9,300 cases (up 43% from 2021/22) and bring the backlog down to 4,275 – an annual reduction of 27%. By the end of March 2024 the pre-assessment pool could be as low as 1,800.

Elisabeth Davies, chair of the OLC, said the current forecasts were made with a sense of ‘cautious optimism’ about the future, reflecting the progress made since the service hit crisis point two years ago.

She added: ‘LeO is on a strong positive trajectory. We are also crystal clear, however, about the work still to be done – and about stakeholders’ strength of feeling that we must see it through.

‘In the uncertainty of the current environment, the OLC will maintain a laser-like focus on getting LeO to a level of performance and customer experience that is both acceptable and sustainable in the long run.’

The workload of the ombudsman is set to reduce gradually over the next year as new scheme rules – coming into force from this weekend – take effect. The time for bringing complaints is being reduced from six years to one and the ombudsman will have the power to dismiss complaints where starting an investigation is deemed to be disproportionate. Although the rules are in force from 1 April, there will be a period where discretion will be shown, if clients of law firms have been told previously in client care letters they have longer to bring complaints.

The biggest challenge now facing the service is what it calls ‘significant unavoidable costs and inflationary increases’. The business plan for this year states that without taking into account the cost of living and increasing salaries, there is the risk of losing skilled and trained workers.

The OLC confirmed its budget will increase by 9.6% to £16.8m - despite misgivings from the profession - with salaries set to increase by around 8%.

Davies added: ‘We recognise the real pressure felt by those who contribute to LeO’s funding. LeO has already made significant efficiencies across its processes, with further improvements planned for the coming year – and the OLC board’s focus will remain firmly on delivering the best possible value for the money we receive.’

 

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