The duty in context
Complaints procedure and handling client
The lawyer must maintain a complaints procedure, tell clients at the outset how to complain (including to any ombudsman), and handle complaints promptly, fairly and free of charge.
How the codes express this duty
E&W Solicitors SRA Principles & Code CCS 8.2; CCS 8.3; CCS 8.5 strong 114 cases
8.2 You ensure that, as appropriate in the circumstances, you either establish and maintain, or participate in, a procedure for handling complaints in relation to the legal services you provide. 8.3 You ensure that clients are informed in writing at the time of engagement about: (a) their right to complain ... (c) any right they have to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman ... 8.5 You ensure that complaints are dealt with promptly, fairly, and free of charge.
SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors, RELs and RFLs · 2019 · archived copy · official source ↗
E&W Barristers BSB Handbook rC99A; rC99B; rC104; rC105; rC108 strong 8 cases
rC99A requires a free, prominent and accessible first-tier complaints procedure and requires complaints to be assessed competently, diligently and impartially, responded to fairly, consistently and promptly, and resolved at the earliest opportunity. rC99B requires written or appropriately formatted information about complaint rights and the Legal Ombudsman. rC104 requires prompt acknowledgement, clear handler and process information, regular updates and prompt communication of the outcome. rC105 requires applicable Legal Ombudsman rights to be given in writing or an accessible format. rC108 requires six-year complaint records and submission of a complaints summary to the BSB.
BSB Handbook Part 2: Code of Conduct · 5.0 · archived copy · official source ↗
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code 2026 R.4.5 strong
An attorney-at-law shall have a written complaints procedure and ensure that complaints are handled promptly, fairly and in accordance with that procedure. Clients shall be told at the outset of a matter or the client relationship of the complaints procedure
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code of Professional Conduct · 2026 · archived copy
AU Solicitors Solicitors' Conduct Rules no clear equivalent
AU Barristers Uniform Barristers Rules no clear equivalent
IE Solicitors Law Society Guide Ch2 — Complaints strong 68 cases
A solicitor should have a dispute-resolution procedure in place for dealing with complaints, which should be communicated to the client. The client should be advised of any actions that will be taken in relation to the matter that is the subject of a complaint.
Solicitor's Guide to Professional Conduct (Law Society of Ireland) · 4th ed. (2022) · archived copy · official source ↗
IE Barristers Bar Code of Conduct no clear equivalent
JM Attorneys Canons of Professional Ethics no clear equivalent
JE Lawyers Law Society of Jersey Code R.1.6 strong
Members must have a written complaints procedure and ensure that complaints are handled promptly, fairly and in accordance with that procedure. Clients must be told at the outset of the matter or the client relationship how to complain.
Law Society of Jersey Code of Conduct · 1 January 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗
ON Lawyers LSO Rules of Prof. Conduct no clear equivalent
BC Lawyers BC Code no clear equivalent
NZ Lawyers Conduct & Client Care Rules r 11.5 / r 3.4(d) strong
A lawyer practising on their own account must ensure that the lawyer's law practice establishes and maintains appropriate procedures for handling complaints by clients with a view to ensuring that each complaint is dealt with promptly and fairly by the law practice.
Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008 · SR 2008/214 · archived copy · official source ↗
SCO Solicitors LSS Standards of Conduct no clear equivalent
SG Lawyers Professional Conduct Rules 2015 no clear equivalent
HK Solicitors Solicitors' Guide Principle 6.01 Commentary 9 partial
In no circumstances can a solicitor exclude his liability for professional misconduct. Furthermore, a solicitor may not seek an agreement from his client to refrain from making a complaint about his professional misconduct.
Hong Kong Solicitors' Guide to Professional Conduct (Volume 1) · current · archived copy · official source ↗
HK Barristers Bar Code of Conduct no clear equivalent
Cases dealing with this duty
217 decisions · link basis: found breached = a tribunal finding; rule cited = the mapped provision is cited in the decision; text match = high-precision text pattern
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Brynly Whyford THOMAS
Guilty of professional misconduct on 2 charges. Guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct on 4 charges.
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Stephen Richard Outram
Breaches, Failures, Others
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Alan Matthew Avetoom & Another
Breaches, Client Money, Delays, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Thomas Byrne
In the matter of Thomas Byrne, a solicitor formerly practising under the style and title of Thomas Byrne & Co at 78 Walkinstown Road, Dublin 12, and in the matter of the Solicitors Acts 1954-2002 [6095/DT60/06, 6095/DT3…
strike_off View decision -
Michael T Petty
In the matter of Michael T Petty, a solicitor formerly of M Petty & Company, Solicitors, Parliament Street, Ennistymon, Co Clare, and in the matter of the Solicitors Acts 1954-2002 [3387/DT21/07 and High Court record no…
conditions View decision -
J R Davies (2013)
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Derek Clyde Cornelius
Others
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Stephen Kojo Baidoe-Ansah
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Lynn Diane Cornthwaite
Breaches, Client Money, Delays, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Hossein Gharaie
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Richard John Swinburn
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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ROBERT JAMES LASHANSKY
Struck Off the Roll of Practitioners
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Christopher Elliot Cleaver Thomas
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Vanessa Glover
Client Money, Delays, Failures
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JANET WALTON
Struck Off the Roll of Practitioners
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BARRY MICHAEL RICHARDSON
Unprofessional Conduct and Suspended
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I P Bell & Another
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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PETER JOHN WARD
Unsatisfactory Conduct
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Anthony Masters Williamson
Breaches, Failures, Others
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Harry Goldman
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Sally Frances Keable
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Keith Roberts
Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Raymond John Holland
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Gordon Leslie Kingan
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
Duty classification does not yet cover every jurisdiction (Ontario, New Zealand and Singapore decisions are indexed but not yet duty-classified), so counts here understate those corpora.