I have had 1 complaint against me since I qualified as a solicitor in 2011. One complaint in ten years is not a bad record, I think it’s fair to say.
That complaint was submitted to the Legal Services Regulatory Authority in July 2020 and no decision has been made to date, some 10 months’ later. I am confident that the complaint is without merit and misconceived and will not be upheld.
But we continue to wait for a determination.
If it caused me a great deal of stress and anxiety a 10 months’ wait for an outcome is too long, I believe. A person’s professional reputation, good name, and integrity can be impacted by an adverse finding in a situation like this.
And it is not good enough that it should drag on in this way. Justice delayed is justice denied.
Even if the decision does go against me I would not expect a draconian sanction. The punishment must fit the crime and the complaint against me is one arising from a €100 consultation I provided to a querist.
Therefore, any sanction ought to be commensurate with the loss, if any, to the complainant.
And the complainant did not suffer any loss, if you consider the receipt of a legal opinion with which you did not agree something other than a loss.
A disappointment, perhaps, but not a loss.
In any event, we continue to await the outcome from the Legal Services Regulatory Authority.