SLCC launches new guide for solicitors on preventing complaints

The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) has launched a new guide to help solicitors avoid the most common complaints. 

The short guide – based on the SLCC’s experience of real cases – outlines ten steps which solicitors can take to avoid the most common complaint scenarios. 

Launching the guide, Neil Stevenson, SLCC Chief Executive said, “Complaint-handling isn’t just about dealing with things that go wrong – it’s also about ensuring that things go right.  That’s where our best practice service fits in.  We want to build a culture of learning from complaints to help practitioners to avoid the most common problems.”

The SLCC issues two distinct types of guidance: formal guidance and general advice.  ‘Formal guidance’ (published under section 40 of the Legal Profession and Legal Aid Act (Scotland) Act 2007 and ‘General advice’ which is simply designed to help inform legal practitioners. 

This guide on ‘Preventing complaints’ falls into the second category. 

The SLCC’s Best Practice Advisor Jennifer Sinclair said, “We hold data on around 12,000 complaints which means that we know what’s most likely to cause problems.  We’re keen to share that knowledge as widely as we can.  I hope that practitioners will find this guide useful – we’ve tried to make it as short and as easy to read as possible.”

In addition to issuing guidance, the SLCC supports best practice through its quarterly newsletter ‘CRM news’ and by offering training – both on dealing with complaints and complaint prevention - to the legal sector. 

For more information visit our information for practitioners.