The SLCC at a glance
Every year we receive over a thousand complaints about legal practitioners in Scotland.
This could be a complaint about:
- A solicitor
- A firms of solicitors
- An advocate
- A commercial attorney
Normally we will only look at a complaint where the complaint has already been made to the lawyer, and they’ve had a chance to respond (there are some exceptions).
Our process is a mix of dispute resolution such as conciliation/mediation with formal, legally binding arbitration.
So what happens to complaints made to the SLCC?
Let’s see what happened to the complaints made to us in our previous annual report year: 1 July 2022 – 30 June 2023.
(Due to complaint timescales, not all of the complaints received in this annual report year have been concluded yet, so last year’s number give a more detailed picture).
| Outcome | % of cases |
|---|---|
| Prematurity | 6% |
| Conduct | 11% |
| Resolved at elgibility | 25% |
| Closed before accept/reject decision | 9% |
| Rejected at eligibility | 14% |
| Service/hybrid - closed at Mediation | 6% |
| Service/hybrid - closed at Investigation | 17% |
| Service/hybrid - closed at Determination | 9% |
| Ongoing | 4% |
| Area of law | % of complaints |
|---|---|
| Executries, wills and trusts | 29% |
| Residential conveyancing | 16% |
| Family law | 14% |
| Litigation | 11% |
| Personal conduct | 7% |
Here are the top five subject areas we received complaints about in our 2023-24 year:
| Complaint about | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Failure to act in the best interests of the client | 22% |
| Communication | 22% |
| Failure to advise adequately | 8% |
| Trust & Personal Integrity | 7% |
| Delay | 5% |
We resolve complaints throughout our process and make final binding decisions on service complaints at the end of our process.
- £ 307,448.92 compensation for inconvenience and distress
- £ 246,569.34 compensation for financial loss
- £122,563.47 in fee reductions and fee or outlay refunds.