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26 November 2021 / Veronica Cowan
Issue: 7958 / Categories: Features , Profession
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What the Ombudsman says

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Veronica Cowan talks to the Chief Legal Ombudsman, Paul McFadden, about his plans to drive recovery & change
  • Speeding up case handling and reducing backlog.
  • The attraction of an informal solution-based approach.

The Legal Ombudsman Service, which is funded by its members (service suppliers), deals with about 7,000 disputes each year, between regulated legal firms and claims management companies and their clients. If attempts by the parties to resolve the dispute fail, the service provider must inform the client about the complaints process.

There are a number of Ombudsmen, headed by the Chief Ombudsman, Paul McFadden, who was appointed in January 2021 from the public sector, where his roles included being Deputy Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, and its Judicial Appointments Ombudsman; helping establish Scotland’s first independent Police Complaints Commission and the UK’s Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration. As the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, he headed its Complaints Standards Authority, implementing a streamlined and improved complaints-handling framework, and culture across Scotland’s public bodies.

Having previously worked in the public sector

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

WSP Solicitors—David Ashcroft & Jessica O’Shea

WSP Solicitors—David Ashcroft & Jessica O’Shea

Commercial property and child law teams expand with senior hires

Duxton Hill Chambers—Lucas Bastin KC & Joshua Hiew

Duxton Hill Chambers—Lucas Bastin KC & Joshua Hiew

Set expands London and Singapore offering with senior international disputes hires

Gilson Gray—Gregor Duthie & Stephen Forsyth

Gilson Gray—Gregor Duthie & Stephen Forsyth

Firm strengthens real estate and litigation teams with partner promotions

NEWS
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Five years after the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 came into force, concerns remain that the family courts continue to minimise allegations of abuse in child contact disputes
Uber has built a formidable strategy for insulating itself from liability for drivers’ conduct, but the legal terrain differs sharply between the US and England and Wales
The Civil Justice Council’s review of Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974 could mark the end of what one commentator calls an ‘outdated’ and overly technical regime governing solicitor-client fee disputes
The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026 marks a constitutional watershed by severing the centuries-old link between hereditary titles and automatic membership of the upper chamber
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