The Legal Services Commission is pushing to obtain access to 'detailed information' about successful complaints made against solicitors, which it will use to assess the performance of its providers.

Responding to a Legal Services Ombudsman (LeO) consultation of what information it should publish on the complaints it handles, the LSC said that it should be given access to information on successful complaints against law firms, even if LeO decides not to release this information to the public.

The LSC said: 'We believe that as a purchaser of services we have a right to obtain detailed information, at the very least regarding successful complaints about the services that we fund, and overall figures regarding complaints arising from publicly funded work.

'Complaints information would enable the LSC to obtain a fuller picture of the performance of a provider.

'It is a valuable tool that would enable the LSC to evaluate risk and decide where to target investigative resource. A high level of complaints that are not resolved internally may indicate a problem within an organisation that should prompt further investigation.

'A significant benefit for the LSC of access to complaints information is that we could use the information to inform contract management, or possibly future tender processes.’

The LSC added: 'The CPS is also likely to benefit from information that may be relevant to its selection of advocates, notwithstanding the panel arrangement that the Bar Council has proposed to put in place.’

The LSC said LeO should periodically compile data tables to 'display information on the intake and outcome of complaints’. It said that where the ombudsman found in favour of the complainant, the 'full report' for a particular case should be published. Once enough information becomes available, it said LeO should also publish a statistical analysis of complaints by area of law, type of complaint, type of lawyer and other factors.

It added: 'Because of our particular position in the legal market, regardless of other decisions LeO may make about the publication of data, the LSC would like to receive both statistical tables and detailed case reports about complaints arising from publicly funded legal aid work.’

Consumer bodies also submitted consultation responses supporting the publication of complaints against law firms. Consumer watchdog Which? said publishing data would be 'beneficial to good lawyers', adding, 'we do not see why the profession would want to "protect" poor lawyers'.

Consumer Focus and the National Consumer Federation both supported publication of complaints data.