Legal Services Commissioner
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Our approach
Mission
The Legal Services Commissioner strives to raise the standard of legal services provided in Victoria to a level of excellence and to deliver high consumer satisfaction.
Customer Charter
Within the Legal Services Commissioner's jurisdiction, powers and resources, we will:
- assist you with your complaint or enquiry
- give careful consideration to any complaint made about a legal practitioner
- investigate the matters we undertake fairly, impartially and in a timely manner
- clearly and promptly communicate to both the complainant and legal practitioner the decision and reasons for it at the conclusion of our investigation.
Power to Refer/Delegate
The Legal Services Commissioner may refer the investigation of a complaint or delegate the attempted settlement of a dispute to the Law Institute of Victoria or the Victorian Bar.
If this happens, these bodies report back to the Commissioner, who considers their findings and recommendations before deciding what action, if any, to take on the complaint.
Business Objectives
The Legal Services Commissioner aims to:
- develop and maintain an independent, impartial and accessible system for managing complaints against legal practitioners
- be accountable to and transparent in dealing with our stakeholders
- enhance community and consumer understanding of legal practice
- work with the legal profession to ensure that legal services in Victoria meet the highest standards of excellence
- assist practitioners in understanding, managing and meeting consumer expectations
- continually identify best practices in the provision of legal services
These objectives are based on the three statutory objectives of the Legal Services Commissioner.
Statutory Objectives
The statutory objectives of the Legal Services Commissioner are to:
- ensure that complaints against legal practitioners and disputes between law practices or legal practitioners and clients are dealt with in a timely and effective manner
- educate the legal profession about issues of concern to the profession and to consumers of legal services
- educate the community about legal issues and the rights and obligations that flow from the client-practitioner relationship.
See our Policies & Guidelines.