Neil Stevenson calls for tighter complaints process against lawyers

The head of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) has called for reform of the current system and processes involved in investigating potentially corrupt lawyers.

Neil Stevenson, chief executive of the SLCC, called for an urgent overhaul of the system, which he said sees basic complaints take years to resolve under a “costly, complex and slow” bureaucracy.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, Mr Stevenson said: “We are not seeking to criticise any organisation or the many people who make the current system work as best it can, but regulation and complaints arrangements have grown piecemeal over the last century, and are desperately in need of reform.”

Every year in Scotland, more than 1,000 complaints are raised against lawyers, many of which are over property.

Mr Stevenson added: “We investigate, try to settle, and determine the case.

“The professional body separately investigates, then maybe reports to a fiscal for a view, a committee considers it again, then the fiscal prosecutes at the discipline tribunal but on behalf of the professional body.

“Meantime the unhappy consumer raises a handling complaint. Then the professional body investigate but the unhappy solicitor appeals the Scottish Solicitors’ Discipline Tribunal decision and it’s off we all go to the Court of Session.”