Client care and Complaints Handling for Lawyers

Client care and Complaints Handling for Lawyers

The Legal Services Act 2007 was designed to simplify the regulatory maze underlying the legal sector and to improve access to justice and competition within the legal market. Today, its provisions are changing the legal landscape and are also driving new rules and regulations on client care and complaints handling, which are in turn paving the way for a new Legal Ombudsman scheme, the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC).

In this context, there has never been a more vital moment to ensure that your firm's client care knowledge is up to date, at minimum, and ideally, 'best in class'. Your client care delivery is one of the most important elements of your business and, on the rare occasions when you do have to deal with complaints, your complaints handling processes must be adequate to ensure that you have dealt with the matter appropriately and complied with regulatory requirements.

This course is an investment in your firm's future. It aims to improve standards of practice within the profession through the promotion of client care, practice excellence, and effective complaints handling.

Areas to be covered include:

Best practice client care pointers - becoming a '21st century practice'

• A refresher on the current regulatory framework
• The ‘service' mindset - understanding the client as customer
• Client care fundamentals - an introduction/reminder and a closer look at supervision
• Practical update on Rules 2 and 5 of the Solicitors' Code of Conduct

Keys to becoming a 'complaints proof' practice

• Building the right culture - your firm's approach to complaints
• Rule 2 - what does the Rule require solicitors to do?
• Rule 2 - the importance of getting your staff members' ‘buy-in'
• The 'good' complaints handling partner
• Consequences for your firm of poor complaints handling
• What happens if a complaint goes to the Legal Complaints Service/Office for Legal Complaints?

CPD hours: 2.00