Today the Legal Services Consumer Panel released the results of it’s 2024 Tracker Survey reports on how consumers are utilising legal services. The survey found that a third (33 per cent) of clients wouldn’t trust their service provider to handle a complaint ‘properly’ with a further 28 per cent concerned that complaining would ‘affect their bill’.
The main findings of the report show that just over half (51 per cent) of consumers reported that they had the knowledge about making a complaint about the legal services they were provided if they felt dissatisfied, yet 28 per cent said they were uncertain how to make a complaint and 21 per cent said they wouldn’t know how to raise a grievance with a legal services provider.
Concerns about complaints affecting a consumer’s overall bill with a service provider were evident, alongside worries a complaint would ‘take too long’ (32 per cent) and a number of respondents saying the complaints departments were ‘too hard to reach’ (14 per cent).
Notably, there has been a dip in the proportion of consumers shopping around for legal services. While consumers are increasingly satisfied with online legal services, ‘regulators are encouraged to develop objective quality measures for providers’. A total of 41 per cent of consumers shopped around for a legal service provider this year compared tov 39% in 2023. Consumers continued to find the price primarily through a discussion with the provider.
The proportion of those shopping around reporting seeing information on services, staff descriptions or estimated timelines published on providers’ websites has declined to 61 per cent vs. 66 per cent in 2023.
Satisfaction with providers has increased for the first time with 87 per cent of consumers surveyed admitting they were happy with their service, up from 83 per cent last year. Case outcome satisfaction was in line with peak outcomes in 2021, with 89 per cent of consumers claiming they were content with the conclusion of their case.
A total of 45% of legal services consumers had their services delivered face-to-face compared to 43 per cent last year, consistent with levels reported prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Consumers from the C2DE social grade (skilled manual occupations and semi-skilled and unskilled manual occupations, unemployed and lowest grade occupations) were more likely to have used face-to-face legal services compared to ABC1s (higher and intermediate managerial, administrative, professional occupations and supervisory, clerical and junior managerial, administrative, professional occupations) more likely to say having the option to meet face-to-face was important (74 per cent vs. 71 per cent for the total sample).
The report found that 73 per cent of consumers funded their legal services themselves or with the help of family or friends compared to a marginal difference of 71% last year; this figure has increased over the long term from 56% in 2012.
The report was designed to assess what type of individuals are using legal services in England and Wales and gain an understanding of the consumers experience.
Earlier this year The Legal Services Consumer Panel commented on CILEx Regulation’s proposed amendments to its transparency rules and requirements. The Panel said they were ‘keen to ensure that appropriate action is taken to improve transparency on price, service and quality in the legal services market’.
The Legal Services Consumer Panel also releases a Consumer Impact Report, which is the only assessment of the legal services reforms from a uniquely consumer perspective.
