Lawyers charging consumers for complaints - research

Lawyers are failing to advise consumers how to go about making complaints and in some cases are charging people for complaining, research by the Legal Services Board (LSB) has found.

A survey of dissatisfied legal customers by YouGov revealed more than half were never told about a complaints procedure by their solicitors.

Less than half of respondents who did receive that information found the procedure easy to follow, while 70% of people who did initially complain later dropped out of the system.

The LSB says lawyers are missing out on vital feedback that can help to improve the reputation of the profession.

Chief executive Chris Kenny said: ‘The message from these findings is that too many lawyers are missing the chance to learn from substantial numbers of consumers who make a complaint.

‘Too many consumers give up when they are unhappy with the outcomes of the in-house process - despite having the right to escalate the complaint to the Legal Ombudsman.

'Improving this situation is an urgent priority for consumer protection, for improving the service itself and for enhancing public confidence in lawyers.’

Since last October every practitioner has been required to provide information on a client’s right to complain and how to go about doing so, but only a minority are currently obeying the rules, says the LSB.

Consumer watchdogs say they are concerned by the latest research, which shows that 16% of lawyers may be charging clients who complain about bad service.

Dr Dianne Hayter, chair of the Legal Services Consumer Panel, said: ‘Lawyers who charge for the cost of handling a complaint are in clear breach of their professional rules and consumers should not stand for it.

‘Anyone in this situation should demand a refund from their lawyers and take the matter to the Legal Ombudsman if they are turned away.

‘It is very worrying that the vast majority of lawyers are ignoring rules requiring them to tell clients how they should complain. The profession’s regulators need to send a clear signal that this isn’t good enough.’