For the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors (OSS), 1999 was a year of apologies, promises and planning; apologies for having allowed the caseload to grow to the point where it could not give complainants any sensible prediction of when their matter would be allocated to a caseworker, promises to reduce the caseload to a manageable level, and planning to utilise the additional £10 million voted by the Law Society to the OSS to the best possible effect.This year must be a year of delivery.

The 150 additional staff, 100 of them caseworkers, are now on board.

About 60% of them have legal backgrounds; the others have experience in customer service or complaints handling.

The caseload, which peaked at more than 17,000 last summer, has fallen to 15,500 - better than had been anticipated - and must be reduced to 6,000 by 31 December.

This equates to resolving 90% of complaints within three months and all complaints within five months.

The challenge is not only to reduce the caseload.

We must maintain the quality of adjudication and, if possible, improve it.I am under no illusions about the scale of the challenge.

I recognise the magnitude and complexity of the problems facing the OSS.

But nevertheless, I am optimistic.

There are several reasons for this.Since last August, the management consultancy Ernst & Young has put an enormous amount of expert work into ensuring that resources are placed where they are needed, that procedures are sensible and straightforward, that management information tools reflect the true situation and that the OSS's goals are clear and logical.

Longer serving OSS staff remain highl y committed.

They have worked industriously to implement new working practices, recruit caseworkers and support staff, and commence their training.

We now have staffing levels appropriate to the challenges facing the OSS.A significant step has been the creation of a team of adjudicators, which starts work this week.

It should achieve quicker, more consistent and reasoned decision-making.

The OSS keenly appreciates the importance placed on quality of decision-making by both the Legal Services Ombudsman and the Lord Chancellor.

Any impression that it is obsessed with numbers to the point of overlooking quality is mistaken.A special cause for confidence is the emphasis being placed by the Law Society on client care.

Too much of the OSS's work relates to solicitors whose treatment of clients has been discourteous, thoughtless, arrogant or sloppy.

Reduction of the volume of such complaints would have two major benefits for the profession: first, less needless work for the OSS, which of course is paid out of practising certificate fees; and second, the infinitely greater long-term benefit of fewer disgruntled people criticising solicitors.There must be the closest collaboration between the OSS - which knows more about the causes of client dissatisfaction than anybody else and has a vested interest in stemming the inflow of complaints - and the new client care team at the Law Society.

The profession should not regard the OSS as being only a 'big stick'.

The office should also be seen as an ally by those solicitors who are genuinely trying to provide client care.Throughout 2000, special emphasis will be placed on keeping the Lord Chancellor's Department, the Legal Services Ombudsman, the Master of the Rolls and MPs informed about progress.

Later this month I shall meet the Lord Chancellor, and the OSS will make a presentation at Westminster for all MPs.The lay members of the compliance and supervision committee have made it clear that they want to be fully involved in the governance of the OSS.

They are instrumental in helping us see ourselves as others do.

Many of the OSS's problems result from the lay point of view having been inadequately recognised in the past.Our goal must be to make the Law Society a leading regulator that other professions admire for its efficiency and integrity - one that gives exemplary service to complainants.

This year must be when we make substantial progress in transforming the OSS from an organisation that solicitors find an embarrassment to one of which the profession can be justifiably proud.