This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Re-appointment of Legal Services Ombudsman
01/07/2003
Linda Costelloe Baker has been re-appointed for a second 3-year term as the Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman. The appointment will run from 1 July 2003 until 30 June 2006.
The post of Ombudsman is independent of both the Scottish Executive and the legal profession. The Ombudsman investigates concerns about the way a professional body, such as the Law Society of Scotland or the Faculty of Advocates, has handled a complaint against a practitioner.
The Ombudsman sends a report of her investigation to the complainer, the practitioner and the professional organisation. If the Ombudsman is not satisfied that the complaint has been handled fairly, efficiently and thoroughly she can make recommendations to the professional body, including payment of compensation for inconvenience or distress caused by the way the complaint was handled.
Mrs Costelloe Baker was first appointed as Ombudsman on 1 July 2000 after an open competition.