This section and the form link below is provided for those wishing to raise a complaint about the professional conduct of a solicitor or firm of solicitors on the roll of solicitors for Northern Ireland.
Please read the information supplied below.
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The Law Society of Northern Ireland is the professional body for the solicitors’ profession in Northern Ireland. Solicitors are required to comply with their professional obligations as contained in the Solicitors (Northern Ireland) Order 1976 as amended and subsequent Regulations & Standards.
Where a solicitor has breached their regulatory obligations, as statutory regulator of solicitors, the Law Society is obliged to investigate complaints received in relation to their professional conduct. -
The Standard of Acceptance Policy (the Policy) outlines the criteria that we apply when deciding whether to investigate a report to us. For a full copy of the Policy, the same can be located:
The policy ensures consistency, fairness, and alignment with our regulatory obligations and remit.
In particular, the Policy outlines:
- The three stage Regulatory Threshold Test , specifically, is it a breach of our regulations and is there sufficient evidence.
- Guidance on what types of complaints that we cannot consider.
- Guidance on what types of complaints that we can consider.
We investigate misconduct, such as:
- Dishonesty.
- Misuse of client money.
- Misleading the court.
- Breaches of undertaking.
- Other significant failures to meet our regulatory requirements.
There are areas of complaint that we cannot investigate, as they fall outside our regulatory remit or better addressed by other organisations. Common examples include:
- Concerns about poor service, such as delays in dealing with your matter or poor communication.
- Disagreements about the level of fees charged.
- Matters relating to negligence claims or disputes over legal advice.
- Where there are ongoing Court proceedings.
Further details and the relevant organisations that may be able to assist you are detailed at section 4 of the Policy.
The Law Society cannot give complainants legal advice.
Accordingly, complainants should seek independent legal advice in respect of the issues raised and pursue any legal remedies available, or to make such other reports to agencies such as the PSNI, as may be appropriate, in accordance with the general law in Northern Ireland.
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Should you wish to make a conduct complaint please complete the online conduct complaint form and return same to the Law Society with copies of all relevant documentation.
Solicitors have an obligation pursuant to Regulation 25 of the Solicitors Practice Regulations 1987 (as amended) to notify the Law Society of any regulatory breach by solicitors.
A copy of the Law Society’s whistleblowing policy is available to download on our website by clicking here.
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Once your conduct complaint has been received it shall be reviewed by the Professional Conduct team to determine whether same has met the Standard of Acceptance for investigation.
If your complaint has not met the Standard of Acceptance you will be contacted and advised of the reasons why the Law Society cannot assist i.e., if there are live proceedings before the Court or the issues that you raise are not matters for the Law Society to consider.
Where the complaint has met the Standard of Acceptance for investigation, it shall be assigned to a Regulatory Conduct Officer (the Officer), and you will receive the Society’s triage letter confirming that a complaint has been commenced. This will usually result in the conduct complaint form and accompanying documents, you have provided, being shared with the solicitor for their comment.
Upon receipt of the solicitor’s reply, the Officer may need to raise further enquiries with you prior to progressing the matter to the Professional Conduct Committee (“the Committee”) for determination. There may, however, be instances where the matter does not need to be referred to the Committee for consideration i.e., the complaint has been resolved or subsequently withdrawn.
The Officer will, where appropriate, keep you updated of the progress of the complaint.
Depending on the nature of the complaint the Law Society may have to take specific regulatory action which they are unable to disclose to you in the first instance.
If the Law Society thinks it is appropriate to do so, it may disclose the information a complainant has provided to the solicitor, firm and to third parties.
Where a solicitor is asked to respond to the Law Society’s enquiries, they will be required to review their file in detail and substantiate their response with supporting documentation where appropriate. Upon receipt of the solicitor’s response, it may be necessary for the Law Society to raise further enquiries with complainants, the solicitor or relevant third parties. Accordingly, while the Law Society aims to deal with the matter within 26 weeks this may not always be possible, and it may take longer to complete a full and effective investigation.
Depending on the outcome of the Law Society’s enquiries the matter may be referred to the Committee for their consideration.
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Depending on the nature and review of the information provided, the Committee may take different types of action in respect of a solicitor, which may include:-
taking no action (where there are no grounds to do so);
taking no action at present but keeping the information for further use in the exercise of its regulatory functions;
initiating correspondence to obtain and evaluate further information which may result in taking no action;
using the information to increase the supervision of a solicitor or their firm;
using the information provided as part of a formal, potentially broader, investigation of a particular solicitor or firm;
disciplinary action.
Complainants will be advised of the outcome of any decision made by the Committee as will the relevant solicitor(s). There may, however, be times where the Law Society can provide only limited information regarding the regulatory and/or any other action that is being taken.
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The Committee are unable to review their decision in the absence of any change in circumstance or where there is no new and material evidence relevant to the complaint.
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The Law Society’s Privacy Notice, which is available below, explains how the Law Society will manage complainant’s personal data during the complaint investigation.