Statement on Scottish Legal Complaints Commission annual report

The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission has published its annual report for 2014-15, and the Faculty has issued a statement in response to it.

Gordon Jackson, QC, Vice-Dean of Faculty, said: “The report shows that the number of complaints to the SLCC about advocates is very small indeed, given the amount of legal work conducted by advocates – only three being deemed eligible for consideration. There is never room for complacency and in the course of the year the Faculty has worked with the SLCC to produce a guide for advocates on complaints handling. The work of advocates is integral to the rule of law in Scotland, and the Faculty of Advocates is committed to promoting the provision by its members of high quality legal services.”

The report disclosed that the top four areas of business for complaints were conveyancing, litigation, family law, and executries, wills and trusts. The most common types of complaints were failure to communicate, failure to advise, delay, failure to provide information, failure to follow instructions and failure to prepare adequately.

In the year from 1 July, 2014, to 31 June, 2015, the SLCC received 1,009 new complaints, and agreed or awarded £400,000 from law firms in compensation, fee refunds and reductions for consumers.

The report is at https://www.scottishlegalcomplaints.org.uk/resources/annual-report-accounts/annual-report-2014-2015.aspx