Legal Services

Legal Services Commission, Queensland

About the Commission

"The Legal Services Commission is an independent statutory body which first 'opened for business' when the Legal Profession Act 2004commenced on 1 July 2004. The Act was repealed on 1 July 2007 and replaced by the Legal Profession Act 2007 which gave us all the same and some additional powers and responsibilities. 

Our core business is to receive and deal with complaints about lawyers; commence investigations on our own initiative when we suspect lawyers have acted improperly; audit incorporated legal practices to help them develop and maintain ethical workplace cultures, initiate disciplinary or other regulatory action as appropriate; communicate what we learn as we go about our work, contribute to related policy discussion and undertake relevant and practical projects and research.

We see our most fundamental purposes to be to protect the rights of legal consumers and promote high standards of conduct in the delivery of legal services." [Legal Services Commission Website]

This sounds all well and good until one actually makes a complaint.  I wrote to the Commissioner on 20th May 2010 (see attachment below) complaining about the conduct of Slater & Gordon, and the questionable legality of the CBA resolution scheme. I eventually received a reply (see attachment below) which makes a mockery of the Commission's claim that  "Our core business is to receive and deal with complaints about lawyers" etc

I have extracted the following from the Commissioner's reply which will demonstrate this:

"I am not able to comment, for reasons of confidentiality as laid out in the Legal Profession Act 2007 about any other complaints which may have been made to the Commission about the conduct of Slater and Gordon in respect of the resolution scheme and do not propose to do so."

"I am not able to comment about your contention that the arrangement proposed is inequitable at law due to hardship or duress."

"On the basis of the material in your letter I am not able to identify any conduct over which I would have jurisdiction."

"You have also complained about the actions of Slater and Gordon in 'sacking' Mr Weir of SICAG. Again I do not have the power to intervene in a solicitor-client relationship." 

I once did  a stint in NSW as a consultant for the Government back in the 'eighties'. What became apparent to me then was that no one ever wanted to accept responsibility for anything and no one ever wanted to make a decision. In other words, no one ever wanted to be 'accountable'. It was a merry-go-round of 'buck passing'. Nothing has changed, it seems, or am I becoming cynical in my old age? You be the judge!