Ombudsmen expects backlash over complaints data

The quarterly data on more than 700 legal entities is still being checked by the Legal Ombudsman.

A spokesperson for the ombudsman was unable to confirm an exact date but said publication was unlikely to be too far away.

When asked if the data was likely to be controversial they said: “We expect a backlash from the profession.

“However we’ve been drip-feeding bits of information out, the response so far hasn’t been too bad.”

The Legal Ombudsman’s report was published last week and showed increasing numbers of complaints relating to conveyancing.

It is the first set of data that the Ombudsman is going to publish and they want to ensure it is as accurate as possible.

Justice Minister Jonathan Djanogly acknowledged last week that the role of the Legal Ombudsman will become even more important in future.

He said that: “Looking forward, a changing legal services market presents more challenges and more potential for confusion.

“That might be a as a result of alternative business structures blurring the lines of what work is regulated and what is not regulated, it could be a greater use of IT, or it could be a move towards the commoditisation of some kinds of legal work.”

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