Complaints to LSRA rose by 14% last year
The annual report of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) shows that it received 1,476 complaints about practitioners last year – an increase of 14% compared with 2023.
Of these, 1,410 complaints related to solicitors while 66 related to barristers, reflecting the higher number of solicitors and their greater level of contact with consumers.
The number of High Court enforcement proceedings taken against legal practitioners jumped to 18 from 11 in 2023, according to the report.
Informal settlements
LSRA Chief Executive Dr Brian Doherty said that the increase in complaints was largely due to a high volume of complaints by banks about failures by solicitors to comply with undertakings.
He added that it was encouraging that one in five closed complaints were resolved between the parties.
“Our mediation service is safe, confidential, and voluntary, and we see from the evidence that informal resolution can be a very effective and efficient way for both parties to work through their issues or disputes,” Dr Doherty stated.
Types of complaint
The LSRA can receive and investigate three types of complaints about solicitors and barristers – relating to alleged misconduct, inadequate legal services, and excessive costs. Some complaints are categorised as mixed complaints, combining two or more of these three statutory grounds.
A breakdown showed that more than half of all complaints, at 762 (52%), were about alleged misconduct only.
A further 350 complaints (24%) were from clients relating to inadequate standards of legal services, while 23 (1%) were linked to overcharging.
The remaining 341 complaints (23%) were mixed-grounds complaints, combining two or more of the three statutory complaints grounds.
57 referred to LPDT
Of the 1,474 complaints that were closed during 2024, just over 40% were closed as they were found to be inadmissible following a statutory assessment.
A total of 143 complaints (10%) were upheld, while 182 (12%) were not upheld.
A further 324 complaints (22%) were resolved between the parties – including 62 complaints with the assistance of LSRA mediators.
The LSRA referred 57 complaints of alleged misconduct to the separate Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal (LPDT) for an inquiry.
High Court orders
During 2024, the authority made 18 applications to the High Court for orders to enforce its directions in complaints against legal practitioners, and 18 orders were granted.
“The LSRA should not have to go to the High Court to force legal practitioners to comply with a direction made by their regulator,” the LSRA’s chief executive commented.
Litigation was the largest category for complaints about inadequate services and overcharging, accounting for 35% and 33%, respectively. Conveyancing, family law, and probate were the other areas attracting the most complaints on both grounds.
Just over 40% of complaints (600) were about practitioners in Dublin, followed by Cork (146) and Limerick (66).
LLPs grow
The LSRA reported continued growth in the number of limited-liability partnerships in 2024, with 26 authorised. The authority has authorised 509 LLPs since the model was introduced in November 2019.
The watchdog also maintains the Roll of Practising Barristers, which rose by 20 during the year to reach 3,071.
It was announced earlier this week that the LSRA chief executive had been nominated for the position of Deputy Police Ombudsman at Fiosrú (Office of Police Ombudsman).