Office of the Legal Services Ombudsman (OLSO) Explained

Document You can download our leaflet in PDF format here.

This page explains what to do if you have a complaint about a lawyer, and you are dissatisfied with the way in which the lawyer’s professional body investigated the matter.

Each branch of the legal profession has a professional body which investigates complaints about its members (see back of leaflet for contact details). If you are unhappy with the way that the professional body dealt with your complaint, or the conclusions that they reached, you can refer the matter to the Ombudsman. Please note that the Ombudsman will normally only consider complaints after the professional body have completed their investigation.

Who is the Legal Services Ombudsman and what does she do?

Zahida Manzoor CBE is the Legal Services Ombudsman for England and Wales. She is independent of the legal profession and a non lawyer. The Legal Services Ombudsman derives her powers from the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990. In creating the role of Ombudsman, it was Parliament’s intention to protect the interests of the consumers of legal services – clients, and members of the public. She does this by ensuring that the professional bodies conduct fair, thorough and efficient investigations of complaints about their members.

When the Ombudsman reviews the way that a professional body have handled a complaint, she will consider whether:

  • the investigation was thorough, and fair;
  • all the relevant facts were taken into account;
  • the conclusions reached were reasonable, and properly explained;
  • the investigation was handled efficiently, without unnecessary delay;
  • the outcome was appropriate (for example, the lawyer may have been disciplined, or you might have been awarded compensation).

What will the Ombudsman do if she decides that the professional body did not deal effectively with your complaint?

The Ombudsman might decide that the professional body’s handling of your complaint was satisfactory. However, if she takes the view that there were shortcomings in the professional body’s investigation, she will either:

  • recommend that they re-investigate some, or all, aspects of the complaint;
  • formally criticise the professional body;
  • award you compensation for any distress or inconvenience the professional body may have caused you.

The Ombudsman also has the power to investigate the original complaint about the lawyer. She will only do so in exceptional circumstances. Between April 05 and March 06 she only exercised this power in 6 cases. For further information, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions section.

Are there any complaints about lawyers that the Ombudsman doesn’t deal with?

The Ombudsman does not have the power to investigate something that has been decided by a court or lawyer’s disciplinary tribunal. Nor will she consider complaints if:

  • more than 3 months have passed since the professional body completed their investigation (unless there are exceptional circumstances which prevented you from applying in time);
  • you have not yet complained to the relevant professional body;
  • you are a lawyer complaining about another lawyer (unless you are acting on behalf of a client);
  • you are in an employment dispute with the lawyer; or
  • you are involved in a contractual dispute with the lawyer (for example, over non-payment of professional fees).

How will the Ombudsman deal with my complaint?

Once you have sent us the details of your complaint about the professional body, we will ask them to send us their file. This usually contains all the information necessary for the Ombudsman to reach a view on your complaint. Sometimes, an Investigating Officer will contact you for more information. You can contact us at any time if you have any further information which you would like the Ombudsman to consider.

However, as the Ombudsman’s investigation is focused on the facts available to the professional body at the time of their investigation, it is not usually necessary for her to consider any new information.

Once your complaint has been investigated the Ombudsman will send you a report containing her conclusions. She aims to do so within six months of receipt of the professional body’s file. We will send a copy of the Ombudsman’s final report to you, to the lawyer you complained about and to the professional body.

What if I don’t agree with the Ombudsman’s decision?

The Ombudsman’s report is final and there is no appeal against it.

A brief guide to the complaints process

  • You must already have a decision from the lawyer’s professional body.
  • You should write to the Ombudsman within 3 months of receiving that decision.
  • The Ombudsman will review the way that the professional body investigated your complaint about the lawyer.
  • If the Ombudsman is not satisfied with the way that the professional body dealt with your complaint, she can recommend that they re-investigate, or she can formally criticise them.
  • If the Ombudsman considers that you have been distressed or inconvenienced by the professional body’s handling of your complaint, she can recommend that they pay you compensation.

How can I complain about the service provided by the Office of the Legal Services Ombudsman?

If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the service that we provide – for example, we failed to reply to your correspondence, or we did not answer your telephone calls - you should write to our Corporate Services Manager. She will investigate your complaint, and aim to let you have a response within ten days. The Corporate Services Manager has no authority to review decisions taken by the Ombudsman. If wish to comment on the Ombudsman’s report, you should address your concerns to the Ombudsman in writing.