Complaints information law firm websites must publish
The SRA Transparency Rules require every regulated firm's website to explain how to complain: to the firm itself, to the Legal Ombudsman, and to the SRA.
The three things a website must cover
- The firm's own complaints procedure. Every SRA regulated firm must operate a written procedure, free to the complainant, and publish details of it on its website. A firm has eight weeks to resolve a complaint before the client can take it to the Legal Ombudsman.
- The Legal Ombudsman. The website must say how and when a client can complain to the Legal Ombudsman, the independent body for complaints about poor service (delays, unclear communication, billing problems). The Ombudsman is free for consumers.
- The SRA. The website must also say how to complain to the SRA, which handles conduct matters such as dishonesty or misuse of client money rather than service quality.
The distinction matters in practice: service complaints go to the Legal Ombudsman, conduct concerns go to the SRA. A page that names only one of the two leaves clients with half the picture. Our guide on how to complain about a solicitor walks through the full route.
How many firm websites actually show it
Complaints information is the signal our scan finds missing most often. The transparency statistics page shows the share of scanned firm websites where complaints information was found, nationally and by town.
Automated findings from public pages only. This is not a legal opinion, and "not found" does not mean a firm has broken a rule: the information may sit on a page the scan did not reach.