Four out of five complaints received last year were successfully resolved by the firm itself, compared to 71% in 2012, according to Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) figures. Meanwhile, clients are making more complaints―firms received 28,113 in 2018 compared to 26,570 in 2012, and 35% of clients said they were unhappy but didn’t complain in 2018, compared to 49% in 2017.
Most complaints received were about delay, advice or costs.
There is a discrepancy between what clients want and what firms think clients want―half the clients surveyed said they would highly value being given a clear explanation of legal processes, but less than a quarter of firms thought this important to provide.
Paul Philip, SRA chief executive, said: ‘The public don’t just want positive legal outcomes, they want to be treated fairly and kept well informed at all stages of dealing with a law firm. Nowhere is this more important than when handling with complaints.’
