The LSCP described the current complaints-handling situation this week as a matter of ‘deep concern’. It initially urged publication of first-tier complaints a decade ago.
Last month, the Bar Standards Board proposed mandating barristers to report all first-tier complaints to their regulator, in its consultation, New arrangements and rules for first-tier complaints handling. In May 2024, the Legal Services Board published guidance last year advising that complaints be resolved within eight weeks where possible.
Tom Hayhoe, chair of the LSCP, said: ‘Consumers should not feel disillusioned or ignored when they raise complaints.
‘Recent scandals in the legal sector have highlighted how important complaints intelligence can be.’ The LSCP is also calling for standardised protocols so that consumers who complain receive ‘a fair and consistent experience’, and greater collaboration between regulators and service providers.
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