LeO and Law Society Standards: Independently Working

Despite the obligation on solicitors to direct all clients to the Legal Ombudsman should they wish to complain, this new organisation appears already to have closed its complaints service to many businesses.

The change

On 6 October 2010, the new Legal Ombudsman (LeO) opened its doors in Birmingham, thereby ending the reign of the much-maligned Legal Complaints Service (LCS) and continuing the move away from self-regulation of the legal profession, towards greater independence.  On its first day it received a staggering 497 complaints, so it would appear as if its profile is already higher than its predecessor and this is perhaps a sign of things to come. 

As part of the regulatory overhaul, the LeO has abandoned the legally-principled standard of inadequate professional service in considering complaints.  Instead, it will now take what it describes as a 'common-sense approach', considering complaints "by reference to what is, in the opinion of the ombudsman