The confused system of regulation for legal services risks leaving consumers without protection when things go wrong, the new Legal Ombudsman warns today.  Against a backdrop of a rapidly changing legal landscape, there are particular difficulties in areas such as claims management and will-writing companies, he says.

The warning from Chief Legal Ombudsman Adam Sampson comes as he publishes his first Annual Report to Parliament following the launch of the organisation in October 2010.  More than 38,000 people contacted the Legal Ombudsman during its first six months in operation, with the organisation launching some 4,000 investigations into the service provided by lawyers, and resolving 1,450 cases.

For the most part, the quality of legal services being provided is reasonable, the report says.  “We know that most lawyers do a good job for their clients and, when things do go wrong, we generally see a great willingness from the profession to work and to learn with us,” says Sampson....