Use complaints feedback to improve services, consumers urge

The ideal law firm complaint process should be based on empathy, transparency, accessibility, fairness, and ease, according to consumers.

Research published by the Legal Services Board (LSB) suggests providers should make it easy for consumers to complain and that feedback should be used to improve services and reduce future complaints.

Participants in the LSB research, designed to examine the challenges consumers face when complaining to lawyers and law firms about their services, stressed the importance of setting and managing consumer expectations through clear communication at the start of the client-provider relationship. They also suggested that providers should proactively invite client feedback and establish a culture of continuous improvement. This would enable providers to spot early signs of dissatisfaction before they escalate.

The research involved 45 people who, over the last two years, had used and made a complaint about legal services or had cause to complain but had not done so. Professional stakeholders, including regulators, lawyers, the Legal Services Consumer Panel and the Legal Ombudsman also took part, exploring potential changes and how they might play out in the real world.

Participants discussed whether soft skills and empathy should be a component of ongoing professional development for lawyers, with other suggestions including presenting complaints information in more accessible and innovative formats and signposting support/advocacy organisations within complaints information for consumers.

Alan Kershaw, chair of the LSB, said it was committed to ensuring people and small businesses had access to high-quality legal advice that meets their needs. “Achieving this vision demands a culture in which lawyers and law firms respond promptly to complaints and proactively seek feedback – good and bad – from consumers and use it to improve their services,” he explained.

He continued: “As the research makes clear, empathy is central to effective resolution of complaints. When people seek legal advice, they may well be in a vulnerable situation. Perhaps they are a victim of fraud, undergoing a stressful transaction like a house sale, or dealing with an employment dispute. If their relationship with their lawyer then breaks down, it can compound the problem, so it is vital to put yourself in the shoes of a complainant. Empathy helps manage consumer expectations and improves the design of services.

“We encourage legal services providers, regulators, the Legal Ombudsman, and everyone involved in designing complaints processes to reflect on the research and consider how we ensure systems are transparent, fair and easy to access.”

The LSB said it would “contribute to ensuring that people who use legal services have access to effective and fair complaints handling procedures” and is currently consulting on updated policy and guidance to regulators on first-tier complaints.