A client complaint can be made regarding the adequacy of professional service provided to you by a solicitor or their firm.
If you wish to raise a complaint about the professional service you have received from your solicitor, you should first raise your complaint to the solicitor using their in-house complaints process.
It is in your interests and your Solicitors’ interests to try and sort out any difficulties between you directly as soon as possible after your case has concluded or a difficulty has arisen. You must make a written complaint to your Solicitor advising you wish to make a formal complaint within six months of the Solicitors ending work or your case being completed or within six months of finding out about any problem if that is a later date. All Solicitors must have a written complaints procedure which may be accessible on their website, if not, telephone or write to the Solicitor and ask for a copy of the procedures, but do not delay completing your form until you receive the complaints procedures. It will merely tell you what they do once they get a written complaint. You may wish to use the template form below to assist you in formatting your complaint. Always retain a copy of your complaint as submitted to the Solicitor in case you need to escalate your complaint further.
Your Solicitors, under the Society’s Regulations, have 28 days from receipt of the form to deal with your complaint and make a written response. If, after 28 days, you have not received a written reply to your complaint and the Solicitors have not explained the delay, then the Solicitors are in breach of the Society’s Regulations.
As of 1 September 2025, anyone wishing to raise a complaint about the service provided by a solicitor must direct their complaint to the Solicitors Complaints Committee within 3 months of concluding the in-house complaint process.
Details on this process can be located on the Solicitors Complaints Committee website which can be found here: www.scc-ni.org/
Any complaint concerning the conduct of a solicitor will continue to be dealt with by the Law Society in accordance with our procedures: Professional Conduct Complaint