The Legal Complaints Service has offered to continue investigating complaints against Yorkshire law firm Raleys concerning compensation payments to miners, after previously rejecting the advice of its watchdog and refusing to do so.

However, the LCS, which suspended investigations in March, stressed that it will not be able to obtain redress until the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal explains its February decision to suspend three Raleys partners and fine three others.

Written SDT findings have yet to be issued six months after the hearing. Raleys has six weeks to decide whether to appeal when it receives them.

Zahida Manzoor, legal services complaints commissioner, had criticised the LCS’s decision to suspend the Raleys investigations. But LCS chief executive Deborah Evans told her in May that any delay by the LCS in dealing with the issue would not add to the delay in customers receiving compensation.

Writing to 394 complainants this month, the LCS has offered to take the complaints as far as adjudication if that is the complainant’s wish.

However, it will not be in a position to conciliate those matters, or take to adjudication those which it cannot conciliate, until Raleys makes its appeal decision.

‘It’s dreadful that it’s taking so long [for the SDT] to provide written findings,’ said the LCS spokesperson.

Raleys disagreed with the SDT’s February orders. The firm has stressed that it cannot review its position on any of the cases and decide whether to appeal until it receives full written findings.

A Solicitors Regulation Authority spokesman said it had ‘raised its concerns with the SDT about the length of time it takes to publish some findings’.