The head of the Solicitors Regulation Authority is open to talks about creating a single complaints handler amid her own concern that clients are confused by the current system. update

Sarah Rapson, who became chief executive last November, said people are unsure whether they should go to the SRA or to legal ombudsman when they are unhappy with their lawyer. The SRA handles complaints about conduct while the ombudsman deals with complaints about service, but in practice the lines between the two become blurred. Both organisations have reported a sharp increase in complaints in recent months, perhaps brought about by clients using generative AI.

Rapson, giving evidence to the Commons justice select committee, said that while the ombudsman deals with service complaints, once they become a pattern it becomes an issue for the SRA. She added: ‘As someone fairly new to the sector trying to work out how on earth a member public would know who to go to, I think this is really difficult territory. We know that LeO has got backlogs and we’re also getting high volumes of reports about solicitors, so our work in progress is also increasing. It’s not a happy tale.’