Complaints About Professionals

Complaints about solicitors (and other legal service providers regulated by the SRA) should first be raised with the firm's complaint handling partner. The firm must acknowledge your complaint within 8 weeks and issue a final response. If you remain unhappy, refer to the Legal Ombudsman (legalombudsman.org.uk).

The Legal Ombudsman can consider complaints about poor service (delay, communication failures, charges above an agreed fee). It cannot determine disputed points of law. If you believe a solicitor has committed professional misconduct (fraud, dishonesty, breach of professional rules), report to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) as well.

For barristers, raise the complaint with their chambers first and then refer to the Bar Standards Board or the Legal Ombudsman, depending on the nature of the complaint.

Financial advisers and planners regulated by the FCA must have a complaints process. Raise your complaint in writing first. If unresolved after 8 weeks (or if you receive a final response you are unhappy with), refer to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).

Common complaints about financial advisers include:

• Unsuitable advice — being recommended a product or investment that was not appropriate for your risk profile or circumstances
• Excessive charges or undisclosed fees
• Poor performance relative to the promised outcome (though investment losses alone are not grounds for a complaint unless the advice was unsuitable)
• Conflicts of interest and undisclosed commissions

For serious misconduct — market manipulation, fraud, or other regulatory breaches — also report to the FCA directly.

Quick reference for other common professional complaint routes:

• Surveyors and valuers (RICS members): Raise with the firm; escalate to RICS Dispute Resolution Services (drs.rics.org)
• Architects (ARB registered): Raise with the firm; report serious misconduct to the Architects Registration Board (arb.org.uk)
• Accountants (ICAEW members): Raise with the firm; escalate to ICAEW for disciplinary matters
• Estate agents: Raise with the firm; escalate to The Property Ombudsman (tpos.co.uk) or Property Redress Scheme
• Insurance brokers: Raise with the firm; escalate to the FOS
• Doctors (NHS): Use NHS complaints process; escalate to PHSO. For private doctors, report serious misconduct to the General Medical Council (GMC)

A poorly evidenced complaint about a professional can be dismissed quickly, even if the underlying issue is serious. Taking time to organise your evidence before you submit substantially improves your prospects at every stage — from the firm's internal investigation to the relevant ombudsman or regulator.

What to include in your complaint file: Assemble your evidence in chronological order before you write the complaint letter. Your file should contain: the original engagement letter or terms of business (which sets out what the professional promised to do and what they charged); copies of all correspondence — letters, emails, and any file notes you were given; invoices and payment records; notes of any telephone calls or meetings, including the date, who was present, and what was said; the outcome you suffered as a result of the professional's conduct (financial loss, missed deadlines, personal distress); and any independent professional assessment confirming the failure (for example, a second solicitor's opinion that the advice was below standard, or a surveyor's report identifying a defect the original surveyor missed).

Chronology as a tool: Prepare a one-page chronology — a table with dates and key events — before writing your complaint. This helps you identify gaps in the record, spot where the professional deviated from what was agreed, and present your case clearly to the investigating body. Ombudsmen appreciate a well-ordered chronology; a disorganised set of documents is much harder to investigate.

Equality Act 2010 and professional services: Professionals providing services to the public must comply with the Equality Act 2010. This means they cannot provide a worse service, charge a higher fee, or refuse to provide services because of a protected characteristic. They must also make reasonable adjustments for disabled clients — for example, providing documents in accessible formats, or allowing telephone rather than in-person consultations. If you believe a professional treated you less favourably because of a protected characteristic, raise this as part of your formal complaint. Both the relevant regulatory body (for example, the SRA for solicitors) and the relevant ombudsman have power to consider Equality Act arguments. The Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) provides free initial advice.

Ombudsman Association code of practice: The major ombudsman schemes that handle professional complaints — including the Legal Ombudsman, the Financial Ombudsman Service, and the Pensions Ombudsman — are members of the Ombudsman Association and adhere to its code of practice. This code requires them to be independent, impartial, free to consumers, accessible, effective, accountable, and transparent. If you feel an ombudsman has not met these standards in handling your case — for example, if you were not given a proper opportunity to respond to the organisation's submission — you can raise a complaint about the ombudsman's own process with the Ombudsman Association or with the individual scheme's own review process.