The Legal Ombudsman has published on its website a list of complaints made against law firms across England and Wales.
The list collates the names of law firms involved in complaints that have led to a formal decision by the Legal Ombudsman. It will be published on a quarterly basis, with the next list due to appear in November. This first list contained 920 complaints.
The information contained in the list includes the number of decisions made against each of the firms featured; the legal practice area; the date of the decision; the nature of the remedy awarded; and the reason for the initial complaint.
The list was set up following a consultation with the legal profession and aims to assist consumers, increase transparency and to encourage higher standards within the legal profession. However, whilst the information may be of interest to consumers, there is a fear that it could present some law firms in a misleading light, particularly those that do high volumes of work and generate relatively few complaints.