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Dear David Abbott
Thank you for contributing here, and I think you would better understand the majority of views given if you were a solicitor, dealing with clients' complex problems.
I think the survey shows us that not many clients understand that the route that the Ombudsman requires them to follow if the Ombudsman is to become involved in any complaint is for them first to have gone through a procedure involving the firm with which they are unhappy. This does not surprise me as there's a small element of counter-intuitivity here.
The conclusion seems to be that when a solicitor takes instructions to adjust Mrs Miggins's will removing her bequest to the panda charity and replacing it with one to the donkeys, they should first ensure she's fully aware of this detail before accepting her instructions, and I must confess to a reluctance to embrace this as a concept. My firm has sent out a leaflet to all new clients explaining this for many years now and I don't want to be responsible for ensuring they've read all of the small print (should I test them on it?) before I start work.
I have no issue at all with your later post about legal aid and the views of the Panel therein expressed, and doubt very much that any lawyers reading this will either - but that's a very different subject.