The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has stated that their research has revealed that lawyers are not making their clients aware of their right to complain about poor service, despite a regulatory obligation on lawyers to signpost to the scheme.

LeO states that the research shows that when asked how they first heard about the Legal Ombudsman, less than a quarter (just 20%) of people recalled hearing about the scheme from their lawyer whilst in a separate analysis of service providers’ internal complaint procedures, 72% of the sample provided no signposting information or, if they did, it was incorrect.

LeO states that they believe that the lack of signposting has contributed to a general reduction in awareness of the Ombudsman scheme, meaning consumers might not know where to go for help when things go wrong.

Kathryn Stone OBE, LeO Chief Ombudsman, said:

“Many people could be losing their chance to put things right after receiving poor service, simply because they don’t know where to go.

 

“Legal regulations are quite clear that lawyers should be telling clients about how to complain if they are unhappy, and that they can bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman if they’re dissatisfied with their lawyer’s handling of a complaint.”