By Anita Rice


The Legal Complaints Service (LCS) is to press ahead with plans to publish detailed information on upheld, adjudicated complaints against solicitors and keep it on public record for three years, the Gazette has learned.



Ahead of Thursday's launch of the second phase of its consultation on publishing solicitor complaints, the LCS chief executive said publication was its preferred option. She added that it was in the consumer interest and would act as a kind of league table for the profession.



Deborah Evans said: 'Such a tool would be fantastic for the consumer, but we also believe it would improve standards within the profession. It would shape the profession in the same way that this kind of proposal has shaped and driven demand in schools.'



The LCS plans to publish complaints on its website against the name of the firm and/or individual practitioners. Paper copies of complaints would be available via email or telephone request.



As well as firm-specific information, the LCS also proposes to publish information providing context about legal complaints overall, including statistics and details of which areas of law tend to attract most complaints, with possible reasons why.



'Those with excellent complaints-handling procedures have nothing to fear because this proposal endeavours to drive up standards within those firms that have deficiencies in the handling of complaints... we think that publication will help to create an environment in which good firms prosper,' Ms Evans added.



Proposals to publish complaints have been widely regarded as controversial among much of the profession. Practitioners fear 'name and shame' tactics could deter lawyers from working within contentious and sensitive areas of law.



Law Society chief executive Desmond Hudson said there were 'more constructive' ways of dealing with complaints. He said it would 'be a mistake for the LCS to push ahead with this proposal at this time'.



He added: 'Complaints need to be dealt with in a way that commands the confidence of both the public and the profession... We do not believe the case is made, as yet, that publishing complaints is in the public interest.



'[This] could well lead to a situation where firms refuse to undertake work that commands more complaints.'



The LCS has urged both practitioners and members of the public to contribute to the consultation, which closes on 24 April.