Complaints & the Legal Ombudsman
Clients dissatisfied with a solicitor's service have routes for redress. Firms must operate an in-house complaints procedure, and unresolved service complaints can go to the Legal Ombudsman, while conduct concerns go to the SRA.
What "Complaints & the Legal Ombudsman" covers
- Firms must have and tell clients about a complaints procedure at the outset, and inform them of their right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman and any regulatory body.
- The firm must give a final response within 8 weeks; if unresolved, the client can take the complaint to the Legal Ombudsman.
- Legal Ombudsman time limits: generally within one year of the act/omission (or of when the client should reasonably have known), and within six months of the firm's final response.
- The Legal Ombudsman can direct remedies including apologies, corrective action, fee refunds/reductions and compensation up to a limit of £50,000.
- Service complaints go to the Legal Ombudsman; matters of professional misconduct go to the SRA (which may refer serious cases to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal).
- The SRA can impose sanctions such as rebukes, fines, conditions, and referral to the SDT, which can strike off, suspend or fine.
- Clients also retain the ordinary right to sue in negligence or for breach of contract separately from the complaints routes.
Key cases & statutes
The authorities and provisions most likely to matter for this subtopic:
How it's tested in SQE1
SQE1 uses single best answer questions: a short factual scenario, one precise question, and five options of which only one is the best answer on the law applied to the facts. For complaints & the legal ombudsman, expect to be asked what the correct legal position is, what a party may or must do, or which outcome follows — with more than one option looking arguable. Reading the facts carefully and eliminating the near-misses is the skill that earns the mark.
Where candidates lose marks
- Confusing the Legal Ombudsman (service/redress) with the SRA (regulation/conduct and discipline).
- Misstating the LeO time limits or the £50,000 award limit.
- Forgetting the 8-week window for the firm's final response before the LeO will normally accept a complaint.
- Assuming the complaints process replaces the client's right to sue in negligence or contract.
Learn this subtopic in the course
A video lesson, notes and exam-style practice on complaints & the legal ombudsman.
FAQ
Is complaints & the legal ombudsman tested on SQE1?
Yes — complaints & the legal ombudsman is part of the SQE1 Legal Services & Professional Conduct syllabus (FLK1) and can appear in single best answer questions.
How is complaints & the legal ombudsman examined in SQE1?
SQE1 tests it by application: you're given a realistic scenario and choose the single best answer from five options. The focus is on using the law correctly, not reciting it — knowing the leading authorities (Legal Ombudsman (LeO) and its Scheme Rules, Compensation limit of £50,000) helps.