*/
Legal Services Ombudsman Zahida Manzoor singled out the Bar Standards Board (“BSB”) for praise in her final annual report and accounts.
She highlighted its consistently high satisfaction rating and the introduction of several initiatives to improve performance, including appointing a Complaints Commissioner in 2006 to undertake a strategic review of complaints and disciplinary processes. She notes that the BSB began implementing nearly all of the 65 improvements recommended by the review last year.
Manzoor also praised the BSB’s commitment to chambers handling complaints in-house, and the promotion of diversity and equality throughout the Bar.
Overall, Manzoor reported that “significant in-roads” have been made in legal complaints handling across the professions. Manzoor’s role will disappear in October when the new Legal Ombudsman opens for business.
The Legal Complaints Service (“LCS”), which receives about 13,000 complaints about solicitors per year, is now achieving more than 80 per cent customer satisfaction compared to 52 per cent in 2006.
Files closed within three months of receipt in 70 per cent of complaints, within six months in 86 per cent of complaints and nearly all files were closed within a year. This is an improvement on 2005 when more than 1,200 LCS complaints languished for more than a year.
The Law Society and LCS faced a series of fines between 2006 and 2008 for “inadequate” complaints handling procedures.
However, Manzoor noted the work of the Office of the Legal Services Ombudsman in helping miners recover money wrongly deducted by some solicitors from compensation awards.
She said: “I am happy to report that significant in-roads have been made in all the professional bodies’ complaint handling processes enabling a speedier and more consistent approach to decision making.”
She highlighted its consistently high satisfaction rating and the introduction of several initiatives to improve performance, including appointing a Complaints Commissioner in 2006 to undertake a strategic review of complaints and disciplinary processes. She notes that the BSB began implementing nearly all of the 65 improvements recommended by the review last year.
Manzoor also praised the BSB’s commitment to chambers handling complaints in-house, and the promotion of diversity and equality throughout the Bar.
Overall, Manzoor reported that “significant in-roads” have been made in legal complaints handling across the professions. Manzoor’s role will disappear in October when the new Legal Ombudsman opens for business.
The Legal Complaints Service (“LCS”), which receives about 13,000 complaints about solicitors per year, is now achieving more than 80 per cent customer satisfaction compared to 52 per cent in 2006.
Files closed within three months of receipt in 70 per cent of complaints, within six months in 86 per cent of complaints and nearly all files were closed within a year. This is an improvement on 2005 when more than 1,200 LCS complaints languished for more than a year.
The Law Society and LCS faced a series of fines between 2006 and 2008 for “inadequate” complaints handling procedures.
However, Manzoor noted the work of the Office of the Legal Services Ombudsman in helping miners recover money wrongly deducted by some solicitors from compensation awards.
She said: “I am happy to report that significant in-roads have been made in all the professional bodies’ complaint handling processes enabling a speedier and more consistent approach to decision making.”
Legal Services Ombudsman Zahida Manzoor singled out the Bar Standards Board (“BSB”) for praise in her final annual report and accounts.
Politically neutral, yet loud and clear – why standing on the sidelines is not an option
With the property market witnessing significant changes since the beginning of the pandemic, Fleet Street Wealth’s Managing Director Julian Morgan considers the future of the home, the second home and the office
In partnership with the Bar Council, LexisNexis is offering up to 60% off its extensive webinar offering.
Chambers is expanding its team.
Making a move from the Bar to a career in governance: Maria Brookes outlines three good reasons to switch and how to do it
Inés Rivera explains how speech recognition can help barristers create accurate documentation faster
The barrister-author talks to Chris Henley QC about the parallels between farming and farmers, and the law and barristers, and the dilemmas of combining young children with continued practice at the Bar
Permitting vulnerable people to be heard is a difficult role, but I have so much joy from it. Mary Prior QC shares life lessons with Aadhithya Anbahan
If the Bar is complacent on the issue of race, then we will perpetuate the same racial inequities that continue to pervade our society, writes Professor Leslie Thomas QC
Tim Prudhoe's lessons learnt: as the scope increases for working overseas, here's some advice on how to build the foundations for an international practice (and not upset the local Bar)
Politically neutral, yet loud and clear why standing on the sidelines is not an option
