The Law Society is refusing to agree to two complaints-handling targets set by the Legal Services Complaints Commissioner (LSCC), it emerged last week.

Chief executive Janet Paraskeva told the council that the third version of its plan for improving the handling of complaints, as demanded by the LSCC, refuses to commit to two unspecified targets.


She said staff at the Consumer Complaints Service had advised that however many resources were thrown at them, the targets - which have been set by the LSCC - were not achievable.


Ms Paraskeva added that the Law Society's independent commissioner - former MI5 chief Sir Stephen Lander - agreed with this assessment.


Last November, the LSCC, Zahida Manzoor, criticised the Law Society's original plan as 'inadequate'. At the time it was submitted, Ms Paraskeva said that as well as being unachievable, some of the targets 'would appear to be set at a level higher than adequacy'.


At the official launch of the LSCC, also in November, Ms Manzoor set out a three-year plan to improve complaints handling by the Law Society, including the targets, which mainly relate to the quality of decision-making and case turnaround times. Beginning in April 2005, the first year's targets are similar to those currently faced by the Society, but get progressively tougher.


If the LSCC considers that the plan is inadequate, she can impose a financial penalty of up to £1 million or 1% of the Law Society's income, whichever is the lower.


A Law Society spokesman said: 'We continue to seek agreement with the LSCC for targets that are both realistic and achievable.'



Ms Manzoor told the Gazette that she was still in discussions with Chancery Lane, adding that they were not just about the targets, 'but about everything in the plan'.



Figures released to council showed that during 2004, a total of 13,454 new conduct and service complaints were received and 14,378 cases were closed, with the average time taken to process complaints being reduced.