Ombudsman slates OSS for lack of client care

But Ombuds-man Ann Abraham said the fundamental cause of the problem was a lack of service by solicitors to their clients.
Abraham said: "There's been a lot of promises and a lot of assurances, various client care initiatives, but it hasn't resulted in any fall-off in complaints to the OSS."
However, the comparative number of complaints is impossible to gauge as the Law Society changed its system for filing complaints in 2000, and cannot provide accurate figures.
Abraham described the Law Society's handling of complaints as "consistently shaky". OLSO was dissatisfied with 42 per cent of cases dealt with by the OSS - just 1 per cent lower than the previous year.
In comparison, the Bar Council found favour with OLSO - with 93 per cent of its cases being dealt with in a satisfactory manner.