The Failure of the Legal Profession and Human Rights

Does the failure to regulate the legal profession breach the European Convention of Human Rights?

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Have you ever complained to the Law Society about the conduct of a solicitor only to discover that, far from regulating the profession, the Law Society was biased in favour of the solicitor and did not investigate your complaint? Have you complained to the Office of the Legal Services Ombudsman, expecting final justice, only to be confronted by more of the same, seemingly inept and biased behaviour? If so, you are NOT alone.

The British Government has long been aware of the inadequacies of the so-called regulators of the Legal Profession and yet in REAL terms very little has changed. All so-called improvements seem to offer a flavour of jam tomorrow whilst doing little or nothing for affected citizens today. New legislated "powers" go unused and it remains business as usual for mal-practicing lawyers and their protection racket. Access to Justice is thereby denied. For many 1000's of people a year this may be a grave breach of their basic Human Rights.

If you have persistent genes (Q21) and the LSO gives you a "report" that dismisses your complaints then that is the end of your options, right? Wrong! There is no appeal from the Ombudsman's decision but you can have a Judicial Review. Very few people, it seems, are this persistent. Fewer still will be willing to take matters to the European Court of Human Rights.

The vast majority of complainants will fall into this last category. Even if this is YOU, you should not give up so easily. There is still a GREAT DEAL that you can, and perhaps should, DO. Some of these positive actions may be far less difficult than you may think. The purpose of this site is to raise awareness of some of these options. Together we are much stronger. Together we may achieve a great deal where individually all will be doomed to failure. Please read on...

Did you know that the European Court operates a well established and important system for intervention by third parties in existing cases? "Any person concerned" may adduce supporting information if it is considered to be "in the interest of the proper administration of justice". This means that some people can have their say where it supports another application. Read more (new window). The process is simple and the only financial outlay is the cost of the postage. The only drawback...

How do you find out about such applications?

Here is our mission statement:-

	To attempt to "advertise" relevant applications filed with the ECHR
	To put any applicants in contact with one another to enable them to compare notes and assist each other with their applications, research and resources.
	*To put would-be 3rd Party Interveners* in contact with applicants in hope that they can help one another.**
	To publish any information, guidelines, tips, hints, links and resources that may help others bring their own cases to the ECHR. (Please read the disclaimer). Contributions welcome.
	To suggest other actions that YOU can take which may help ALL of us afflicted with this problem, now and in the future.
	To listen to YOUR suggestions to improve this site.

Interested? Please study the pages linked below.

[Applications looking for support] [Make your own Application] [Other Useful Actions] [Links]

Thank you for reading. Please don't give up trying. Make those persistent genes count. Many decent individuals and organisations have been trying to change things for years. Insist on your Article 10 rights and add your voice to those on the inside. If you are able, add your voice on the outside too, through the European Court of Human Rights.

Notes: References to the Law Society generally means the regulatory arm of the Law Society. This organisation has the dual and conflicting role of both "regulator" and "trade union" to solicitors and their firms. The Solicitors Complaints Bureau (SCB) was replaced by the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors (OSS). In April 2004 the OSS re-branded itself as the Consumer Complaints Service (CCS). Many folks might say that nothing has changed for the better in all this time. Research carried out in 1998 gave us the Willing Blindness Report - the name says it all. In 2004 we had the Clementi Review. Once again we are promised "jam tomorrow" in the form of White Papers. For more information on these subjects please check out the links page. So far we have seen "too little, too late" - and we ask the question "How much is likely to change when those resisting change are at the heart of our society - the legal profession as a whole?" Please act.

Disclaimer: Please note that nobody currently associated with this website has any legal qualifications. We cannot offer legal advice. Any information given here is provided in good faith only. You are advised to check the facts thoroughly for yourself. If you need legal advice then you may wish to consider consulting a suitably qualified professional. We cannot (currently) recommend anyone or even tell you who to avoid. If anything published here is incorrect then please let us know.

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