Legal Ombudsman

The Legal Ombudsman is falling further behind in meeting case closure targets amid high staff turnover, it has emerged. It closed 6,206 cases in 2018-19, compared to a target of 8,000.

Lawyers must provide their clients with a cost benefit analysis so they can understand the choices available to them, the Legal Ombudsman has said, also warning lawyers to be “crystal clear” over charges.

More than 40 leading property developers and freeholders – but no lawyers as yet – have signed a government-backed pledge that highlights the duty of conveyancers to act in the best interests of clients.

A law firm that addressed a transgender woman by her birth name has been ordered to pay compensation by the Legal Ombudsman.

Some conveyancing solicitors have become “too close to developers” and do not put their clients’ interests first, MPs claimed today. They suggested solicitors should part-fund compensation for mis-sold leases.

The Law Society has called on the Legal Ombudsman to make “concrete, specific plans” on how it going to cope with the new SRA rulebook, which will allow solicitors to practise from unregulated firms.

A new operational model for handling complaints, piloted last year by the Legal Ombudsman, has boosted quality and efficiency, and helped it get “the work right first time”.

The Legal Ombudsman is to focus on improving the quality of its decision making as its caseload falls from 8,000 to a predicted 7,400 in 2019-20. But delays continue to dog the service.

The Legal Ombudsman is to explore publishing its full decisions on complaints against lawyers, rather than just brief details as now, it has emerged.

The Legal Ombudsman will finally be able to look the profession in the eye again next year when it clears the backlog of complaints, its chair has said.