More than 80% of clients who had sought legal advice in the .

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.A Law Society survey showed clients satisfied with legal advice, reports Maureen MillerMore than 80% of clients who had sought legal advice in the last 12 months rated the law firm as very good or good, and more than half said the firm had been very good.

This was the overall conclusion of a Law Society survey into how clients view solicitors, which was carried out by the British Market Research Bureau in August and September last year.However, at the other end of the scale, one in ten rated the firm as poor or very poor, and a similar proportion rated it fair.

Clients involved in wills or probate cases were the most likely to give positive ratings, whereas for conveyancing and, particularly divorce or personal injury cases, views were slightly less favourable.The survey of 1,500 clients was commissioned to deepen the Law Society's understanding of patterns of use of solicitors and the services they provide, in terms of client needs, expectations, and satisfaction.

The findings will be used to provide input into strategic policy making which aims to ensure that solicitors' work is client-centred.Overall, 16% of adults had consulted a solicitor on a personal matter and had completed their legal work within the last 12 months.

Personal recommendation followed by previous experience of the firm, the good reputation of the firm, and conveniently located offices were the most important factors governing their choice.The key reasons for giving the law firm a positive rating were that the solicitor handling the case had been very experienced and professional, had done everything the client wanted, and had been efficient and provided a good service.

Poor ratings were most often put down to generally poor service, with further mentions of inefficiency, things taking longer than necessary, not showing an interest in the client and not keeping the client informed.On the issue of client care and complaints handling, solicitors should pay particular attention to the finding that if a complaint does arise , provided it is properly handled by the solicitor and the firm, it is not fatal to the overall satisfaction rating by the client, who may still end up with a favourable view of the firm.High ratings for individual solicitorsClients generally rated the solicitor handling the case very positively in terms of approachability, being knowledgeable, explaining the process clearly and being efficient.

Most clients said their solicitor had kept up to date on their case, rather than only acting when prompted.

Around half said they were completely confident with the way the solicitor had handled their case, and another quarter were very confident.

However, one in five clients in divorce or personal injury claims lacked confidence in the way their solicitor had performed.Only three in ten clients remembered being told about the firm's complaints' procedure at the outset, with those whose business was dealt with within a month the least likely to remember.It was notable that a higher proportion of those who had rated their law firm as good or very good overall said they had been invited to comment on the service, while very few among those who had considered their firm's performance to be fair or poor could recall being asked for their views.Although half of those consulted in the survey said they had received no response to their complaint, most of those achieving some response were satisfied with the outcome, although around a quarter remained dissatisfied.It is a tenet of customer service that if complaints are handled successfully, the client may still end up with a very favourable view of the organisation overall and, as far as the limited sample of complainants allows conclusions to be drawn, most of those satisfied with the outcome of their complaint rated their law firm as very good or good.

Conversely, most of those receiving no response to their complaint rated the firm fair or poor overall.Looking at overall ratings of the law firm among all clients who made a complaint, 32% ultimately rated the firm as good or very good, 20% thought its service was fair, and 49% that its service was poor or very poor.

Clearly there is an opportunity for solicitors to convert more of those making a complaint from dissatisfied to satisfied customers, with at least some acknowledgment of the complaint likely to improve the situation.Client careA third of clients claimed that they had not been told specifically who would mainly handle their case.

In 14% of all cases the legal work had been handled by more than one person.

Where there had been a change in the person handling the case, two-fifths of clients (representing 5% of the total sample) said that there had been problems caused by someone else taking over.As for costs information, more than 80% of those involved in conveyancing stated that they had received an initial estimate but, in other cases, only between a half and two-thirds had received any information.

About half of those with cases lasting six months or more said they had been given regular updates on costs.

The great majority of clients who had received a bill said that it had been clearly itemised and easy to understand (82%).

However, it would seem that more could be done in the stages before the bill is sent to ensure that the client will not be surprised by it.Three-fifths of clients said that their bill was what they had expected, whereas a quarter said it was more, and an eighth that it was less.Just under two-thirds of all clients said that they definitely would or were very likely to use their law firm agai n in the future, and a similar proportion would recommend it to others.

Clients making wills were the most positive on these measures, followed by probate clients.Clients in divorce and personal injury or medical accident cases were generally the least satisfied with their experience, and, while some of their perceptions may be influenced by the length and complexity of their case and their own emotional involvement, it may be valuable to consider ways to address their concerns.