SLCC highlights work on improvement in annual report

Neil Stevenson

There was a 6.3 per cent increase in the number of complaints received (following two previous years of increases) and an 18 per cent increase in complaints dealt with.

There were also new guides drawing on learning from complaints published for consumers and the lawyers as well as updates to case management software and a new lease signed.

SLCC chief executive Neil Stevenson said: “While we know much of the focus at the moment is on the recent outcome of the Roberton Review of the Regulation of Legal Services, it’s important to reflect on the year we have had.

“We hope that the review will lead to real improvement in the system. However, we can’t stand still, and in the last year our focus has been on working within the system we have.

“We have put in place a further programme of internal process improvement work and worked with the Law Society of Scotland and others to explore small changes to the current legislation.”

He added: “As ever, it’s important to recognise that most solicitors do a good job. We know that the overall number of legal transactions and the number of lawyers are both rising. We also know the public are now more confident to raise issues when they do have concerns. Increasing complaints does mean more work for us, but we know this is a trend being seen in other sectors and professions.”

Chair Jim Martin added: “At the SLCC we are working hard within the constraints put upon us by legislation to find speedier, efficient processes to reduce investigation times.”

Lorna Jack, chief executive of the Law Society of Scotland, said: “The SLCC is right to highlight the need to reform the many complex and bureaucratic processes which clog up the legal complaints system.

“All too often, clients and solicitors are left in limbo whilst complaints sit in a queue waiting to be allocated for investigation or to be dismissed. It is little wonder that almost all of the concerns raised with Esther Roberton during her recent review of regulation centred on the way legal complaints are handled.

“Many of these complaints processes can be changed by regulation and without the need for primary legislation. That is why we want to move ahead as quickly as possible, build a consensus for change and work with the SLCC and the Scottish government to deliver real benefits for the public and the legal profession ahead of further change over the longer term.”