There are some courses of action we can't take
consider matters of professional conduct, as complaints of this nature rest with the Law Society of Northern Ireland as regulator for the solicitor’s profession. Examples of professional conduct matters may include:
- Breaches of Law Society Regulations,
- Breaches of undertakings,
- Suspected dishonesty,
- Allegations of mishandling of client’s money,
- Failure to discharge expert or other third-party costs.
This is not intended to be an exhaustive list and any queries surrounding the conduct of a solicitor should be raised with the Law Society of Northern Ireland Professional Conduct Complaint | The Law Society of Northern Ireland
Certain complaints may involve concerns which affect both the service provided, and the solicitor’s professional conduct. These are called hybrid complaints and can cover allegations such as:
- Acting in conflict of interest situation,
- Withholding or loss of documents.
If your complaint concerns both service and conduct elements, you may also need to lodge a professional conduct complaint with the Law Society or provide us with your consent to refer your complaint to them.
consider complaints about solicitors who are not on the Roll of Solicitors in Northern Ireland. We do not have the power to investigate a complaint if the work done by the solicitor is under a practicing certificate issued in another jurisdiction e.g. In England, Wales, Scotland or the Republic of Ireland. Complaints should be raised with the appropriate body in the relevant jurisdiction.
consider a complaint about other professionals such as court secretariat, estate agents, accountants, financial or medical experts etc.
consider anonymised complaints. If you are concerned about a solicitor and do not wish to disclose your own information, you may wish to contact the Law Society of Northern Ireland in accordance with their whistleblowing policy.
Please note
- If the complaint involves elements of professional negligence, correspondence will be issued explaining the limitations of the investigation and outcomes available.
- Negligence is generally a mistake made by your solicitor which causes you as the client to suffer financial loss. If you believe that your solicitor has acted negligently and you wish to pursue a claim, you can do so by instructing another solicitor to pursue the matter through the Courts on your behalf.
- Even if we are able to consider the service elements separately to the negligence elements of your complaint, you may also be advised to consider seeking independent legal advice on the legal implications of the allegations of negligence as this is not something we can advise upon or determine.
- If you are unhappy about your solicitor’s bill, initially you should raise your concerns with your solicitor to see if you can resolve the issue. If you are unable to resolve your concern directly, you should refer to the alternative options noted on the Law Society’s website. About Your Solicitors Bill | The Law Society of Northern Ireland
- If a bill relates to ‘contentious’ business, i.e. work begun before a court, an arbitrator or the Lands Tribunal, you can apply to the Court or Taxing Master to have a bill taxed. Taxing is a judicial process which your solicitor must make at your request. The Court of Judicature of Northern Ireland Taxing Office | Department of Justice
You should do so quickly as there are time limits within which these rights must be exercised.