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In my experience as the 'Rule 15 Partner' the Ombudsman is largely defective, dysfunctional and not only fails the profession but also the public.

That is not to say that it is not needed, in fact one might say it is needed more than ever, but that 'need' cannot be delivered when the investigators border on functional illiteracy and lack knowledge of the legal issues which underpin the matters at issue.

I have recently had to explain to the LeO that despite the client 'instructing' us to vacate a trial (civil) we could not do so as there were no proper grounds for seeking the hearing to be vacated and that any application would fail. The investigator had not heard of 'Directions' and could not understand why the client's "reasonable" desires and instructions could not be followed / achieved.