This month the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission turns 15 and we’re taking the opportunity to reflect on what we’ve learned about legal services, complaint handling and customer service.

In that time, we’ve received more than 18,000 complaints, so we’ve built up considerable expertise. We speak daily to consumers about the impact on their lives when legal matters go wrong, and to lawyers about the challenge of dealing of complaints.

While some of the issues we see have evolved since 2008, the importance of good communication between lawyers and their clients has stayed a constant. It’s the bedrock of good service in any industry, and legal services are no different.

Vicky Crichton is Director of Public Policy, Scottish Legal Complaints Commission

Good communication is also crucial for helping to resolve issues when they do arise. Things can and do go wrong, and misunderstandings happen, but a genuine apology, explanation or offer to put things right can resolve a complaint and maintain consumer trust and business. We all appreciate it when someone listens to us and tries to see things from our perspective.

The legislation that set up the SLCC encourages lawyers and their clients to resolve issues at source and the benefit of swift and consensual resolution is one we passionately champion in our work.

We provide guidance and training for the legal profession on good complaint handling that draws on our 15 years of experience about what helps to resolve complaints. Complaints are a business risk in any sector, but understanding why they arise and how to deal with them should be a core part of any firm’s approach to risk management.

This month we’ve been holding discussion sessions with law firms to hear more about what they find most challenging about dealing with complaints as well as what they’ve found works to resolve them. That insight helps us to test and shape the advice and guidance we provide to firms and to improve our own complaints processes.

When complaints do reach us, we continue that focus on resolution. Our staff work hard to seek common ground between parties and to recommend solutions. We offer sessions with independent mediators to help parties reach their own solution and the success and satisfaction rates are high.

That means many complaints we deal with are resolved before we need to make a final binding decision. We’re proud of that record. We know it’s in the best interests of consumers who want a swift conclusion to the issue they’ve raised. It reduces the amount of time lawyers have complaints hanging over them. Ultimately, it provides a more effective and efficient service for everyone.

We work hard to be accessible, proportionate and efficient, but some of the statutory requirements set out for us act against that. We want to go further, and we think we can achieve more, but we need greater flexibility to do that.

So we’re excited that Parliament is currently debating amendments to our founding legislation to create a more flexible complaints system. We want to see those changes passed and implemented swiftly so we can build on the success of the last 15 years to deliver an even better service in future. And as we cut the birthday cake this month, we’ll be reflecting on what we’ve achieved and looking eagerly to the future.

Vicky Crichton is Director of Public Policy, Scottish Legal Complaints Commission.

We all appreciate it when someone listens - Vicky Crichton