The Law Society of Scotland has been attacked by a legal watchdog for appearing out of touch and for mounting long and complicated investigations.

The criticisms were levelled at the lawyers' body by Linda Costelloe Baker, the Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman, in her annual report.

In two-thirds of the cases referred to her, she found the Law Society had failed to carry out an "adequate or well-managed investigation" into a solicitor.

The issues that matter most to a complainant can be overlooked

Linda Costelloe Baker Ombudsman

Mrs Costelloe Baker said there had been a 57% rise in the number of new complaints to her during the year about the Law Society and other legal bodies.

She said the Law Society had made "a welcome effort" to use plain English, and to encourage solicitors to communicate clearly with their clients.

But she stressed she remained concerned by the way in which it handled complaints.

She said: "My continuing concern about the way the Law Society responds to complaints is the complexity of the investigation process.

"That in itself can give an impression of bias - of being more in tune with the lawyer than the ordinary person."

Better system

Mrs Costelloe added: "Investigations take far too long and in the welter of correspondence, the issues that matter most to a complainant can be overlooked."

She welcomed a Scottish Parliament inquiry into the handling of legal complaints, saying this could lead to a better system.

The ombudsman said: "In the meantime, the professional bodies must work fairly and efficiently within the current legislation and this annual report shows that there is still plenty of room for improvement."

Joe Platt: "Look at the wider picture"

Law Society vice president Joe Platt said the Holyrood inquiry had greatly increased the awareness of his organisation's work and that of the ombudsman.

"It is important to look at the wider picture about complaints," he said.

"Solicitors in Scotland deal with an estimated 1,000,000 transactions on behalf of clients every year and the Law Society of Scotland received just over 1,200 complaints.

"Of these, just over 150 complaints were referred to the ombudsman about the way the society handled the complaint, of which she reported on 74 and upheld 48."

He said proposed new legislation had been drawn up to allow the society to deal with complaints more quickly.