DEPARTMENT FOR
CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS News Release issued by The Government News
Network on 17 April 2007
Issued on behalf
of: Office of the Legal Services Complaints Commissioner
The Legal Services Complaints Commissioner, Zahida Manzoor CBE,
has today declared the Law Society's complaints handling Plan
for the period 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 as adequate.
The agreement of a plan follows a period of detailed discussions
between the Office of the Legal Services Complaints Commissioner
and the Law Society.
Ms Manzoor commented:
"I believe the greater collaborative approach adopted by the
Law Society this year has been fundamental to producing a
complaints handling Plan for 2007/08, which not only focuses on
improving the processes and procedures of the Law Society but more
importantly its wider business improvements."
The Commissioner asked the Law Society to include in its Plan the
key deliverables from the Legal Complaints Service and Solicitors
Regulation Authority Improvement Agendas. She believes that they
are critical to developing an effective and efficient complaints
handling system.
Speaking of the Plan the Commissioner stated:
"This is the first year I can recall where the Law Society
has committed to delivering wider business improvements which
better serve the needs of all its users and I look forward during
the Plan year to seeing the potential benefits being realised for
the consumer, profession and the Law Society."
However, the Commissioner also sounded a note of caution in
agreeing the Plan by pointing out the importance of the Law
Society being more proactive in managing performance against the
targets and delivery of its Plan earlier in the year.
The Commissioner added:
"Since I was appointed as Commissioner two years ago a
reactive approach by the Law Society has resulted in effort being
made during the latter part of the year once there has been
realisation that some targets are unlikely to be met. This
approach has been unsatisfactory and would not be acceptable in
future years."
The Commissioner also pointed out that this is a Plan and sets
out what the Law Society hopes to achieve throughout the year. If
delivered, the Plan will bring about long awaited improvements for consumers.
Finally, the Commissioner added:
"With the proposals for the new Office for Legal Complaints,
although not envisaged to be in place until 2010, it is imperative
that a step change in the handling of complaints by the Law
Society is made to ensure improvements are delivered sooner. "
Notes to Editors
1. Ms Manzoor CBE was appointed Legal Services Complaints
Commissioner (the Commissioner) in February 2004 in addition to
her role as Legal Services Ombudsman (LSO). The Commissioner only
has powers in relation to the Law Society of England and Wales. Ms
Manzoor was reappointed as both Commissioner and LSO for a period
of three years in March 2006.
2. The roles of the LSO and the Commissioner are distinct. The
LSO examines the handling of individual complaints by the legal
professional bodies on behalf of members of the public. The
Commissioner examines the Law Society's capability to handle
complaints made about its members efficiently and effectively.
3. The Commissioner has the power under section 52 of the Access
to Justice Act 1999 to require the Law Society to provide
information on how it deals with complaints, to make
recommendations about the complaints system, to set targets for
complaints handling and require the Law Society to submit a plan
for improved complaints handling. In addition, the Commissioner
has the power to levy a penalty on the Law Society if it fails to
deliver an adequate plan or fails in the delivery of that Plan.
4. On 4 October 2006 the Commissioner formally required a plan
from the Law Society, setting out how it would deliver
improvements in its complaints handling service during the period
1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008. The Commissioner set targets on 21
December 2006 covering timeliness, quality of decisions and
implementation of its Plan.
5. The targets set by the Commissioner and contained in the Law
Society's Plan for the period 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 include:
Timeliness
* By the end of March 2008, to have no more than
65 cases that have been open for 12 months or more; and
* 67%
of cases are closed within 3 months
Quality of decisions
* 93 % of complaints are acknowledged
with 5 working days of receipt;
* 88% of complaints receive a
substantive response within 45 days of receipt
* 88% of
complaints to meet the specified contact requirements; and
*
73% or more of referrals to the Legal Services Ombudsman (LSO) in
which the LSO upholds the handling of the case by the Law Society.
Implementing the Law Society's agreed Plan
* The Law
Society will use at least 95% of its authorised budget to deliver
the content of the Plan; and
* The Law Society will use at
least 95% of its authorised resource to deliver the content of the
Plan
6. The Law Society submitted its final complaints
handling Plan on 3 April 2006 in which it had agreed to the
targets set by the Commissioner.
7. Additional information on the targets and text from the letter
to the Commissioner notifying the Law Society that its Plan is
adequate for complaints handling will be available on the
Commissioner's website shortly, http://www.olscc.gov.uk
8. The Commissioner is yet to make her decision on the Law
Society's performance against its complaints handling Plan
for the period 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007.
ENDS
Office of the Legal Services Complaints Commissioner
Zahida Manzoor CBE
Commissioner
Impartiality
Transparency
Efficiency
Effective remedy
Appointed under the Access to Justice Act 1999 as an independent
regulator working with the Law Society on behalf of the consumer
to improve standards in complaints handling