The report provides details of the number and nature of complaints about legal practitioners (solicitors and barristers) received and investigated during the reporting period of 8 March to 2 September 2025.

Overall, legal practitioners were directed by the LSRA to pay a total of €73,525 in compensation to their clients in the reporting period. In addition, legal practitioners were directed to refund or waive a total of €20,705 in fees.

The LSRA can receive and investigate three types of complaint; about inadequate legal services, excessive costs (overcharging) and misconduct.

In the reporting period, the LSRA’s Complaints and Resolutions Unit received a total of 841 complaints. A total of 799 related to solicitors and 42 related to barristers, reflecting the higher number of solicitors and their greater level of contact with consumers. Multiple complaints may be brought against an individual legal practitioner. Of the total:

• 419 complaints (50 per cent) related to alleged misconduct only.
• 240 complaints (28 per cent) related only to legal services of an inadequate standard.
• 9 complaints (1 per cent) were solely about excessive costs (overcharging).
• 173 complaints (21 per cent) were mixed complaints, with a combination of misconduct, inadequate legal services and excessive costs.

The 893 complaints closed in this reporting period include:

• 337 (37 per cent) inadmissible complaints.
• 247 (27 per cent) complaints resolved with the assistance of the LSRA, including 18 complaints resolved in the LSRA’s Informal Resolution process with the help of its trained mediators.
• 97 (11 per cent) upheld complaints.
• 105 (12 per cent) not upheld complaints.
• 43 (5 per cent) of complaints of alleged misconduct were referred by the Complaints Committee of the LSRA to the separate Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal.
  LSRA High Court enforcement activities
  The report details the LSRA’s High Court enforcement activities against solicitors who did not comply with its directions or determinations in complaints made about them. During the six month period covered in the report:
• A total of 34 pre-action letters were issued to legal practitioners seeking their compliance with LSRA directions or determinations within a set time period of time.
• Sixteen enforcement proceedings were issued seeking orders from the High Court directing compliance by legal practitioners with LSRA directions or determinations.
• The LSRA obtained four High Court orders.

Today’s report has a focus on the area of conveyancing with themes, case studies and lessons for legal practitioners and the public that have emerged from complaints in that area. Conveyancing-related complaints about legal services and costs make up 9 per cent of the total number of complaints received by the LSRA to date (813 out of 8,617). Future LSRA complaints reports will focus on the legal services areas of Probate and Wills, and Litigation.

LSRA chief executive Dr Brian Doherty said: “This Independent Complaints Handling report is the last once I will introduce as the LSRA’s Chief Executive Officer, as I am stepping down from my role this month. In my tenure at the LSRA, I have been pleased to see lawyers increasingly reflect on their own behaviours and practices in matters that are the subject of complaints. Their proactive engagement with the LSRA in resolving issues at an early stage is both encouraging and to be encouraged. It remains my strong view that the early resolution of complaints between the parties represents the best outcome in almost all of the complaints that we deal with.

“On the other hand, I have too often found the need in these reports to highlight the small number of instances where legal practitioners have failed to engage with their regulator, or have failed to comply with the LSRA’s directions or determinations in complaints which we have upheld.

“In such circumstances, the LSRA has and will bring High Court proceedings to enforce its decisions. As I have repeatedly stated, there is no benefit to be gained by a legal practitioner through non-compliance, rather they are simply putting the LSRA to further effort and expense, adding to mounting frustration and disappointment for the complainant and increasing the cost of the levy on their fellow legal practitioners.”