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Resolving complaints about solicitors

Financial loss

What is financial loss?

You lose money as a result of your solicitor's failure to do something or their poor service.

Example 1

Your solicitor does not tell you that a court hearing you are required to attend has been postponed. You incur travel expenses and a loss of earnings.

You do not receive money that you are entitled to as a direct result of an error made by your solicitor.

Example 2

You sell your flat after paying service charges in advance. The buyers owe you the amount that you have paid in advance. But, due to a mistake made by your solicitor, they do not pay you.

How much money will I get?

The maximum total award we can make for financial loss is Ј15,000, including any extra expenses and losses. However, many of the awards are lower.

What if I don’t know how much money I've lost?

We can't compensate you for financial loss if you don't know how much money you've lost. For example, we can't calculate how much money you've lost as a result of your solicitor missing an employment tribunal deadline.

Call our helpline – 0845 608 6565 – to learn about other steps you might be able to take.

What do you need to see before you can award me compensation?

We need to see evidence of any extra expenses you've been required to pay as a direct result of your solicitor's poor service.

Example

Your solicitor didn't complete work you paid them for. Meanwhile, you've paid another solicitor to complete the work. This is an extra expense. We'll ask you to show us the bills you received from both solicitors, details of the work you've been charged for, and evidence that you've paid both bills.

If you need further help assessing your financial loss, call our helpline - 0845 608 6565.