PERFORMANCE: chief executive warns of protracted 'representations process' with LSCC


The Legal Complaints Service (LCS) is having to divert valuable resources into a protracted 'representations process' with the Legal Services Complaints Commissioner (LSCC) over its performance in 2006/07, its chief executive warned this week.



In June, the commissioner, Zahida Manzoor, issued her provisional decision that the LCS and Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) had failed to deliver their complaints-handling plan for the year ending 31 March 2007, saying that while the speed with which the pair handled complaints was improving, the quality of work was still below par.



She said she would provide an opportunity in early July to make representations to her before the final decision, but as of this week, there is still no decision - nearly six months after the plan year ended.



If Ms Manzoor's final view is that the plan was not delivered, it is likely that a new representations process will begin over whether she should levy a penalty and of what amount. Meanwhile, discussions over the plan for the 2008/09 year - which the LSCC has to approve - will shortly begin between the LCS and LSCC's office.



Interviewed in the Gazette this week to mark her first year in the post, LCS chief executive Deborah Evans said she has found the representations process protracted and resource intensive. 'It would be really good if we could sit down with the office and work out a much quicker, proportionate and transparent way of working,' she said. 'Being in the representations process for last year is taking us away from some of the improvements we'd like to do this year, which is a shame.'



SRA chief executive Antony Townsend added: 'The current process unhelpfully diverts considerable resources from complaints handling. We shall work with the commissioner and her office to find ways of reducing the regulatory burden, to ensure that we can focus upon further improving our standards.'



The LSCC's office, which is funded by the Law Society, had no comment.



Meanwhile, the LCS has launched a consultation on the future provision of advice services for solicitors, to help them prevent and resolve complaints.



Earlier this year, the board of the LCS decided against ditching LawyerLine, the confidential complaints-handling advice service, despite the fact that it was not well used (see [2007] Gazette, 1 February, 9).



The consultation aims to determine if there is a current and future need for a telephone service, and what else the LCS might do to assist solicitors. It can be found at www.legalcomplaints.org.uk.



Neil Rose