Under new proposals unveiled by the Solicitors Authority Regulation (SRA), solicitors will be obligated to inform their clients on how to complain. This will include compulsory and thorough explanations, both at the beginning and at the end of their matter, made to the clients concerning what their options are for complaining.
The consultations on changes to the code were conducted on 2 June, where it was also proposed that solicitors should provide complaint details if a complaint was made throughout the course of a matter. The consultation is open until 25 July. For more information, click here.
The SRA is also making further plans to enforce the current expectations for solicitors to publish details of their complaints procedure on their respective websites. Throughout the course of the consultation, further concerns have been made regarding whether more need be done to encourage solicitors to publish complaints in a more “prominent and accessible” sense. As most readers will likely be aware, this too is the case already for costs information, resulting in many law professionals believing the regulator will do the same for information regarding complaint procedures.
Complaints Support for Law Firms
Surveys carried out by the SRA recently discovered that only 68% of firms publish their complaints procedures online, in spite of it being a requirement. The regulator has also expressed concern around firms that do publish complaint procedures, but in a fashion wherein their location isn’t immediately clear to the website navigator.
“Solicitors shouldn’t be afraid of encouraging complaints,” said the SRA’s Chief Executive. “They are an opportunity to identify areas for improvement and ways to deliver more effectively for clients. Our research suggests that there’s no negative connotations around firms being so open about their complaints process.”
“The rule changes we’ve suggested should help firms to help their clients by having clearer triggers for when complaints information is provided and having a clearer definition of what a complaint is. The changes would also provide us with a better idea of how the profession can improve customer service overall.”
It has furthermore been made public that the SRA is looking to expand the information on complaint handling – the reason being that the regulator can identify and better understand specific complaint trends.
The SRA also wish to closely examine the time it takes for complaints to be completed. This information will likely be collected in the future during practising certificate renewal.
The regulator also spoke at length concerning the increase in complaints law firms have received in recent years. From January to March of this year, the SRA visited 25 firms and surveyed as many as 750, finding continual variations in how firms defined and handled complaints.
Source: here.
Complaint Management Service
Regulation and Compliance Office’s Complaint Management Service is an outsourced solution that enables firms to pass any complaint received from a client or other party for independent investigation, response, and resolution. This will include:
- Complaints made against the Firm by clients.
- Complaints made against the Firm by other parties.
- Legal Ombudsman Complaints about service.
- SRA Complaints made against:
- The Firm.
- An Individual in the Firm.
Whether handling a complaint as a one-off solution or as part of an ongoing contractual relationship, RACO is able to provide support.
For more information and costings, download our full-service brochure here.
See Related Articles
- Navigating SRA Enquiries and Investigations
- Guidance on Complaints Concerning Legal Costs
- Experienced Solicitor Struck Off After Backdating Documents
- Removed from the Profession for Hiding Complaint Progress
Regulation & Compliance Services
For more information on the Regulation & Compliance Office and how we can assist in accelerating your risk management and complaints procedures, call us on 0203 985 8550 or email us at info@regulationandcomplianceoffice.co.uk
