The Legal Complaints Service (LCS) is to require solicitors' insurers to pay awards it makes for inadequate professional service in cases when firms will not or cannot pay.


The LCS board has published a policy statement that implements an initiative to assist clients by contacting insurers, who are obliged to pay such awards under the minimum terms and conditions of insurance. The Gazette understands that the move is in part motivated by the reluctance of some firms involved in the miners compensation scandal to pay awards.



LCS chief executive Deborah Evans said: 'We will contact the insurer only if it is reasonable, taking into account the circumstances of each case, obtaining agreement from the customer before doing so. We will obtain insurers' details under the referral protocol in place and agreed by ourselves, the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and the qualifying insurers. In every case where we decide to contact a solicitor's insurer, we shall inform firms before doing so.'



The initiative will run for six months.