The Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) is consulting on a new strategy for the Legal Ombudsman (LeO), which will run from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2027. The OLC is also consulting on its Business Plan and Budget for 2024/25 – the first year of the new strategy. The consultation will run for eight weeks from 27 October 2023 until 12pm on 22 December 2023.
The OLC is proposing two new strategic objectives for LeO. The first objective, which focuses on LeO’s service, sets out an ambition that LeO provides a service that’s highly trusted by both users and providers of legal services – and leads the way in its approach to resolving complaints. This follows success in improving customers’ experience through the introduction of early resolution, which now accounts for half of all complaints LeO resolves.
The second objective, which focuses on LeO’s impact, sets out an ambition that LeO is a constructive and strategic voice for improvement in the legal sector. This will mean doing more with its unique insight into complaints and how to resolve and prevent them – working collaboratively with legal service regulators, and in alignment with the Legal Services Board (LSB).
In 2024/25, LeO expects to handle approximately 140,000 early contacts and enquiries, take on 7,700 new complaints, and resolve 8,300 complaints across the range of legal services it covers. In the context of growing demand for LeO’s help, it will continue to improve customers’ experience and sustainably reduce waiting times for an investigation. It will deliver its service on a proposed budget of £17.95 million – an increase broadly in line with inflation.
More information about the consultation and the draft Business Plan and Budget and Strategy documents can be read here.
