MoJ: tell us what you think of the Legal Ombudsman

The government has asked for views on the performance of the Legal Services Board and Office for Legal Complaints.

The Ministry of Justice today opened a consultation seeking opinions on how the oversight regulator and legal complaints-handler measure up.

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The consultation is part of a statutory requirement to review all arm's-length bodies at least once in each parliament.

Each review must examine whether there is a continuing need for the function and form of each organisation.

If either should be retained, the reviews look further at how they can become more efficient and effective, and will analyse their performance.

The review will be carried out by MoJ officials and is expected to take four months, with the call for evidence closing on 24 November.

In the last review of the bodies in 2012, 34 responses were received from regulators, academics, ombudsmen and individuals.

Then, the government gave each body a positive rating for their assessments and said they should be congratulated for how they had met regulatory requirements since they were each formed, having been a product of the 2007 Legal Services Act.

Since that date, the LSB has led discussions about whether it should have a long-term future – even suggesting its own dissolution in favour of a single legal services regulator.

The Office for Legal Complaints, including the Legal Ombudsman, has endured a leadership crisis, with the resignation of its former chief executive and an overhaul of its management roles.

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MoJ: tell us what you think of the Legal Ombudsman