Complaints and Oversight Sub-Committee

Convener
William Braes
Secretary
Michael Greenfield
michaelgreenfield@lawscot.org.uk
Solicitor Members
Selena Graham
Lauren Grant
Lesley Halliday
Serena Sutherland
Non-solicitor Members
John Birkenhead
Ralph Coleman
David Crossan
Vikki Halliday

Aims & functions of the committee

  • To give guidance and directions to relevant Committees and thereafter review the handling of all aspects of complaints to ensure transparency, consistency and balance.
  • To give guidance and direction to the complaints handling staff in relation to policies and procedures for handling complaints, including issuing and reviewing Policy Documents.
  • To consider and deal with points of policy and principle arising from specific cases and to give guidance as appropriate.
  • To consider on an ongoing basis relevant external relationships including, but not exclusively, matters relating to the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission, the Scottish Government and the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner.
  • To consider and promote initiatives to improve client care standards within the profession.
  • To provide information to the public in relation to the conduct complaint handling process, and areas of practice which feed into it.
  • To consider issues arising from client dissatisfaction with a view to educating the profession as to:
    - dealing with dissatisfaction and complaint appropriately.
    - trying to avoid client dissatisfaction and unnecessary complaints.
    - education on the policies and procedures of the Society, and of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission insofar as they impact upon the Society’s conduct complaint handling process.
  • To support the profession as appropriate in complaints handling matters involving the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission.

  • To decide to raise complaints in the Society’s name with the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission in the public interest and/or in the interests of maintaining standards within the profession.

  • To report to the Regulatory Committee any matters of general importance or specific regulatory interest.

  • To monitor the exercise by the Sub Committee and of the Law Society executive of the delegated powers of the Council.

  • To monitor general compliance with Practice Rule B5.5.1 of the Law Society of Scotland Practice Rules, and analyse and report upon first tier complaints records requested in terms of Rule B5.5.1.1(ii).

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