Since 2006, the Legal Complaints Service (LCS) has delivered substantial improvements for both consumers and law firms, whether they are users of the service or beneficiaries of its advice.

The initial task of the board of the LCS and the organisation’s staff was to improve complaints-handling performance – first, in terms of speed, and, second, in terms of consistency of decision-making. Four years demonstrates attainment of these goals:In 2006, new resourcing models were developed to remove casework backlogs (in 2006 1,200 files were over a year old); and improved productivity increased the speed of process and brought about improvements in the quality of decision-making.

  • 70,000 complaints dealt with;
  • More than 300,000 people received telephone advice;
  • More than £12m recovered for former miners;
  • More than 180 law firms received our guidance through seminars, training and personal visits;
  • 1,591 solicitors referred to the Solicitors Regulation Authority for conduct breaches;
  • More than 10,000 people visit our website every month;
  • 83% of our customers are satisfied with the service and outcome they receive;
  • 99% of complaints now closed within 12 months;
  • 80% of complaints now closed within six months; and
  • 60% of complaints now closed within three months.

Another key change was the transformation of staff attitudes as a target-driven success culture developed.

All this was driven by a three-year improvement plan implemented after members of the LCS board consulted over 50 stakeholders.

‘The improvement made in recent years by the Legal Complaints Service has been remarkable’, said Bridget Prentice, former justice minister.

‘The story is one that I am very pleased to relate, of a significant turnaround in performance in complaint-handling about solicitors,’ said Zahida Manzoor, Legal Services Ombudsman for England and Wales.

‘I commend the recent changes in how the Legal Complaints Service has handled complaints. What we see is a more rigorous and robust system in place, which is exactly the direction of travel that is needed,’ said John Mann MP.

LCS staff have always been open to change with their flexible and professional approach driving the organisation’s success over the past four years. As the organisation approaches closure they should be congratulated for their impressive achievements.

Among many LCS successes since 2006, the organisation has recovered more than £12m for former miners who received poor service from their solicitor. Most importantly, the LCS facilitated joint working with a number of firms that allowed them to take responsibility for their actions, enabling a project of considerable size (more than 100,000 clients were contacted) to be delivered in a cost-effective way.

The aim of the LCS board was to create an environment where the consumer could bring their complaint easily without undue hurdles, thereby improving accessibility and increasing consumer confidence in our service. Back in 2006, many consumers were unaware of the service; an awareness-raising campaign paid substantial dividends. Awareness-raising does not drum up new complaints – it merely provides existing complaints with a home.

Clear guidance was issued to consumers to enable them to select and work with a solicitor in the most productive way. Levels of customer satisfaction have proved to be an important indicator as to whether we were getting it right. We have seen consistent improvement in our figures over the past few years as we have taken a more consumer-focused approach.

Also important was a constructive relationship with members of the profession, and an ‘Informing the Profession’ programme was developed to improve standards and the effective application of rule 2. Solicitors benefited from our sharing of best practice. A client care award was developed to recognise best practice in solicitor firms.

While there is a clear difference to us between a complaint about service – delay, cost or communication issues – and a complaint about conduct, this difference is often less clear in the minds of the complainant. The LCS has worked with the SRA to enable our caseworkers to spot potential conduct breaches and refer them across where necessary.

The LCS often provides an early-warning system when firms are in serious difficulty and quick referrals to SRA are essential if the public is to be protected effectively.

The cost of the service was always an important concern for the profession, and consequently a rigorous programme of cost reduction has been under way for a number of years. Direct costs of the service have fallen from £24m to £16m, while productivity improved dramatically. Further costs savings are now being generated as a result of closedown, with the direct costs of the service likely to fall to £14m this year.

Over the next few months, post-Legal Ombudsman (LeO) vesting on 6 October, the challenge will be to close the organisation down and to complete the remaining complaints in a professional, efficient manner. The LCS intends to ensure that both customers and firms continue to receive a good level of service. Closing an organisation is never easy – to date nearly 40% of the workforce have left – but good contingency planning has meant that performance has not suffered. We look forward to this period with determination, not resignation.

The LeO is set to deliver the fundamental change called for by the Legal Services Act, and although it has not been necessary for some time for a ‘knight in shining armour’ to come along and save the world from poor handling of complaints against solicitors – the LCS’s performance ranks alongside that of the best consumer redress organisations – there is still a need for change.

The LCS has made major strides in improving independence through the creation of its independent board; LeO will deliver institutional independence from the profession, thus removing any possible grounds for customer perceptions that the service is likely to be biased. The umbilical cord will finally be severed.

We at LCS wish the LeO every success in its important task. They have a challenge ahead, as it will not be easy to improve significantly on the service LCS has provided in recent years.