A discussion paper issued by the Legal Ombudsman today is seeking views on whether it should publish the names of firms when it reports details of consumer complaints.

The Ombudsman has been set up by the Office for Legal Complaints and begins taking complaints from consumers next month. The Legal Services Act allows it to name the lawyer or firm involved in any case it reports on. However, solicitors have voiced concerns that this could have an economic or reputational impact.

The paper asks whether the Ombudsman should only publish anonymised cases, or whether naming the lawyers would benefit consumers.

It also asks whether identifying lawyers could have a disproportionate impact on certain areas of the law, how long the information should remain in the public domain, or whether it should only identify lawyers if they receive a certain number of complaints in a year.

The paper also seeks views on whether any information at all should be published, the types of cases and levels of decisions to be published, and the form of publication.

Responding to the document, Legal Services Consumer Panel chairwoman Dianne Hayter said: ‘In this era of transparency, the presumption should be to favour disclosure in a market where consumers lack the information to choose suitable lawyers.

‘The panel strongly supports the identification of lawyers subject to ombudsman investigations, but this must be done in a way that illuminates, rather than clouds, understanding.’