The Legal Services Consumer Panel published research yesterday concluding that improvements were needed to the way in which solicitors communicated their terms of business to clients.

The Chair of the Panel, Elisabeth Davies said "‘Client care letters are mostly ineffective at conveying the information consumers prioritise, such as cost, timescales, and basic client-relation contact details. Worryingly, the research also shows that client care letters do not meet the needs of vulnerable consumers. There is an urgent need for approved regulators to rise to the challenge of supporting providers to deliver improved communication to consumers."

We have some sympathy for solicitors here because much of the information that is required in what are often extraordinarily lengthy terms is there because the regulators require it to be there, and adds little to a client's understanding of the contract that he or she is entering in to. The difficulty with that is that much of the really information that is really important to the client....cost and timescale...gets lost in the sheer volume of other less important information.

If you have any concerns about the terms of business with your solicitor, just get in touch and we will be happy to give you entirely free intial advice in clear and simple language:

http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/law/care-letters-make-clients-feel-stupid-says-watchdog/5058596.article