The Office for Legal Complaints, the new body created by the Legal Services Act 2007 to handle complaints about solicitors, is to be based in Birmingham.

The OLC, which has been allocated set-up costs of around £15m and annual running costs of £19.9m, will replace the Leamington Spa-based Legal Complaints Service next year.

The LCS currently has nearly 350 staff, including around 200 caseworkers. Most are expected to have the right to move across to the new body under transfer of undertakings, protection of employment (TUPE) rules. Existing cases will continue to be dealt with by the LCS when the new body takes over.

Law Society chief executive Des Hudson said he was ‘pleased the OLC will be based in a location enabling it to meet [the government’s] commitment that TUPE principles will apply to the transfer of staff.’