Report: Clients lack confidence in lawyers and law firms to resolve a complaint objectively.
Many clients are reluctant to complain to their lawyer about the service they receive because they feel intimidated or threatened, according to a report.
Customers lack confidence in lawyers and law firms to resolve a complaint objectively, with some people dropping their complaint due to the "emotional effort" involved, found the study commissioned by the Legal Ombudsman and the Legal Services Consumer Panel.
It found that some lawyers were still not handling complaints effectively, despite evidence that a successful process was good for their reputation.
A poll of customers who had complained to the Legal Ombudsman before giving their lawyer the chance to resolve the complaint, known as a premature complaint, found 63% said it was because they had no confidence it would be taken seriously or resolved fairly.
Legal Services Consumer Panel chairwoman Elisabeth Davies said: "This hard-hitting report reveals why so many consumers don't complain about poor service by a lawyer - people are confused about what to do, get completely thrown by legal jargon, believe they won't get a fair hearing and fear that upsetting their lawyer could have repercussions for their case.
"Just as bad, a quarter of those who do complain rate their experience as one out of 10.
"Consumers are being asked to drive competition by voting with their feet when buying legal services, but they won't do this unless they are confident that the complaints system will protect them if things go wrong.
"This report shows that there's currently too much of a gap between what should be happening under existing regulations and the reality for consumers.
"As a matter of urgency, regulators must take what consumers are telling them and use this to deliver a real step change in standards."
The Legal Ombudsman has published a free guide for consumers to help them make a complaint to their lawyer, with advice about contacting a lawyer, making a formal complaint and how much time should be given for it to be resolved.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5j5no99JEqoiSqwgE2emjuSF5_bYg?docId=N0020711349881075437A
Complaints Handling Research:
http://www.legalservicesconsumerpanel.org.uk/ourwork/complaints/documents/Complaints_Combined%20executive%20summary_YouGov_FINAL.pdf