Be wary when buying legal services

The Legal Ombudsman has urged people to be wary of getting legal services from unregulated and often unqualified providers. The call has been backed by Andersons Solicitors in Nottingham who say the problem has got much worse over the last few years. Chief ombudsman Adam Sampson revealed that he has received 40,000 complaints about law practitioners since his office was set up six months ago. His team has not been able to deal with many of the complaints because they are against people who are not qualified solicitors. He said: "We've seen lots of cases where people have had deficient wills where we haven't been able to help. This problem will only increase as the legal services market reforms, and Internet-based provision and commoditisation of legal services increases." Alex Brooke-Smith of Andersons Solicitors said problems arose because there is no regulation covering some legal services such as conveyancing or divorce. "It means anyone can set up in practice offering these services even though they may may not be properly qualified or have any insurance. Consumers may be attracted by cut price deals but then they may have no form of redress if things go wrong." Solicitors, by contract, are strictly regulated which means they can be held accountable if they make mistakes. The legal services market is to be opened up to more providers in October. Alex Brooke-Smith said: "It will enable a wide range of businesses to enter the market and could further blur the distinction between regulated and unregulated providers. "Many of the new providers will be completely legitimate but some may not, leading to more complaints to the legal ombudsman. People will need to think very carefully before making life affecting decision based on legal advice from providers who may not be qualified or insured". For more information please contact Alex Brooke-Smith on 0115 947 0641 or email abrooke-smith@andersonssolicitors.co.uk or visit www.andersonssolicitors.co.uk