Survey of Complainants - draft questionnaire

As explained in the covering letter, this questionnaire relates to the complaint that you contacted the Law Society about in 1991. Your answers will be seen only by the independent researchers carrying out the survey, and will be treated as completely confidential. Please do NOT write in your name OR the name of the solicitor involved.

Please answer every question; mostly you just need to circle the relevant number or numbers.

Please return the completed questionnaire in the Freepost envelope provided - if possible by ...

1. How did you find out that it was possible to make a complaint to the Law Society about your solicitor? (Please circle as many numbers as apply.)

Newspapers	1
Radio	2
Television	3
Friends or relatives	4
Law Society or Bar Association	5
Your own solicitor	6
Another solicitor or barrister	7
Legal Aid office or a Community Legal Centre	8
Other	9
(Please specify) _____________________________
_____________________________

Acting without your authority or failing to follow your instructions	01
Delay	02
Rudeness or dishonesty	03
Negligence/poor quality of work	04
Cost of services/overcharging	05
Conflict of interests or other unethical conduct	06
Failure to pay money owed to you or to someone else	07
Fraud or dishonesty	08
Poor communication	09
Other	10
(Please specify) _____________________________
_____________________________

Yes	1
No	2
Not sure	3

Another solicitor	1
The Law Society	2
Legal Aid office or Community Legal Centre	3
Family or friends	4
Anyone else	5
(Please specify) ______________________________
______________________________

4. When you originally made your complaint, what did you hope to achieve? (Please circle all the numbers that apply.)

To get an apology	1
To get help in solving the difficulty I had with my solicitor	2
To get compensation or a reduction in fees	3
To get a better services for myself in future	4
To get the solicitor to improve his or her service to clients generally	5
To have the solicitor reprimanded or punished in some way	6
Other	7
(Please specify) ________________________________
________________________________
I wasn't sure	8

5(a) Did the Law Society explain to you that you could seek compensation from the solicitor as one aspect of your complaint?

Yes	1
No	2
Not sure	3

Yes	1
No	2
Not sure	3

6. Did you ever take your complaint about your solicitor to any of the following? (Please circle all the numbers that apply.)

Ombudsman	1
Member of Parliament	2
ICAC	3
Consumer Claims Tribunal	3
Attorney General's Department	4
Other	6
(Please specify) _____________________________
_____________________________

My complaint was dismissed	1
(Please answer Q7(b))
The matter was settled by mediation or by the
intervention of the Law Society	2}
I received compensation or a reduction in fees	3}
The solicitor was reprimanded	4}
The solicitor had to attent a disciplinary hearing	6}
(Please go to Q8)
Other	7}
(Please specify) ______________________________
______________________________

Very satisfied	1
Fairly satisfied	2
Not sure, hard to say	3
Fairly dissatisfied	4
Very dissatisfied	5

		Agree strongly	Agree	Hard to say	Disagree	Strongly disagree
(a)	When I first contacted the Law Society, the information I was given about the complaints procedure was clear...................................................	1	2	3	4	5
(b)	Staff at the Law Society generally treated me in a courteous and professional manner.......................	1	2	3	4	5
(c)	On the whole my complaint was handled promptly and efficiently............................................	1	2	3	4	5
(d)	I found the complaints procedure difficult to understand..................................................................	1	2	3	4	5
(e)	The Law Society kept me informed about what was happening with my complaint..........................	1	2	3	4	5
(f)	I felt that the Law Society handled my complaint in a far way..................................................................	1	2	3	4	5
(g)	I felt uneasy in complaining about my solicitor to the Law Society.....................................................	1	2	3	4	5
(h)	The Law Society took a genuine interest in my complaint and tried to help.......................................	1	2	3	4	5
(i)	Involving the Law Society in my complaint was a waste of time............................................................	1	2	3	4	5
(j)	I was reasonably satisfied with the outcome of my complaint..............................................................	1	2	3	4	5
(k)	Once I had made my complaint I felt that I was left out of the complaints proceedings...................	1	2	3	4	5
(l)	If my friends or relatives had a problem with a solicitor, I would recommend that they use the Law Society complaints procedure........................	1	2	3	4	5
(m)	The Law Society procedure does little to help individuals who have complaints............................	1	2	3	4	5

9. The Law Reform Commission is considering other possible ways that complaints against solicitors might be handled in the future.

(a) In your opinion, would it be better for future complaints to be handled (please circle one number only)

By the Law Society?	1
By a new body independent body?	2
Not sure	3

(b) If a new body were set up to deal with complaints, should that body consist of (please circle one number only)

Only lawyers?	1
Mostly lawyers?	2
Equal numbers of lawyers and non lawyers?	3
Mostly non lawyers?	4
Only non lawyers?	5
Not sure	6

10. Overall, in the light of your experience in making your complaint and having it dealt with,

(a) What would you say were the most satisfactory things about that experience?

________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________

(b) And what were the least satisfactory things?

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

(c) Is there any other comment you wish to make about the complaints procedure?

________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________

And just a few final questions:

11. What language do you usually speak at home?

12. Do you have any difficulty reading or writing in English?

Yes	1
No	2

13. What is the highest level of education you have completed?

Primary school	1
Secondary school	2
Trade or technical qualification	3
Tertiary education	4