SLCC sets out vision for protecting consumers of legal services

The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission’s Consumer Panel has set out its vision of how the internationally recognised principles for consumer protection should apply to legal services to mark International Consumer Rights Day.

Launching this guide, aimed at legal consumers, the chair of the Consumer Panel, Carol Brennan, said: “When I’m speaking to businesses about consumer principles, I am sometimes asked whether it is really reasonable to encourage increasingly high expectations for service delivery at a time when professional services face unprecedented regulatory and financial pressures.”

International Consumer Rights Day began on this day in 1962 when US President John F. Kennedy detailed his plan for safeguarding consumer rights before Congress.

Ms Brennan added: “When I answer that question, I often refer back to JFK’s seminal speech about consumer rights. Kennedy recognised one fundamental principle: consumer trust equals consumer spending. In other words, embracing consumer rights is good for the economy.

“As a consumer panel, we are aware that when it comes to professional legal services, applying the consumer principles isn’t always straightforward.

“We are often not in a position to judge the technical quality of the work or it may be years before issues come to light. However, consumer principles are just as relevant to those services provided by lawyers.

“Indeed, the vision we have set out does not - and cannot- fall solely to the legal sector. Transparency, access to information and adequate redress all demand input from regulators, complaint handling bodies and consumer organisations. In summary, we all have a role in ensuring that Scotland continues to offer an internationally well-respected legal sector.“

Read the guide here.