Significant Differences in Complaint Investigations under the 1994 & 2015 Acts by the LSRA’s head of Complaints and Resolutions, Tony Watson.
Part 6 of the Act creates a new complaints and disciplinary system for solicitors and barristers. It came into force on 7 October 2019.
This talk will provide you with an introductory overview of the new procedures, with particular emphasis on the important differences between the new regime and the previous one.
Some aspects of Part 6 will be familiar and, although some of the terminology has changed, many of the concepts remain the same. There are, however, a number of significant differences that practitioners need to note.
It is particularly important that practitioners are aware of the need to engage with the Authority at certain key stages that may arise in the investigation of a complaint. It is also important that you appreciate the negative consequences that may follow should there be a failure to do so. These points are highlighted and explained in the talk.
The presentation has been broken down in to seven sections as follows:
- Three Categories of Complaint
- Preliminary Review and Admissibility
- Resolution by Informal Means
- The Review Committee
- The Complaints Committee
- The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal
- Reports under section 73
