What to do if you're accused of file sharing Making a complaint
You can make a complaint about an unfair accusation to the Solicitors Regulation Authority
If you have received an unfair accusation from a law firm, you should make a complaint about them to the Legal Ombudsman if you live in England or Wales. If you live in Scotland, you will need to complain initially to the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC).
The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) (this body replaced the previous legal complaints handling bodies on 6 October 2010) can't investigate a complaint about the actions of someone else's solicitor but they will refer it to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the solicitor's professional body.
In December 2008, Which? made a complaint to the SRA about the conduct of law firms involved in writing to consumers on behalf of copyright holders alleging illegal file sharing.
Davenport Lyons and ACS Law
After a protracted investigation, in early 2010 two firms were referred by the SRA to the solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) - Davenport Lyons and ACS Law. The case against Davenport Lyons is being heard in June 2011 and the case against ACS Law is expected to be heard in Autumn 2011.
Already more than 500 people who think they've been wrongly accused of illegal file sharing have contacted the SRA, either directly or via the Ombudsman, and we strongly recommend that you do the same. If you are in Scotland you can contact the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission. Ask to be kept informed of the outcome of their investigation.
Contact details for the SRA
Telephone: 0870 606 2555
Email: contactcentre@sra.org.uk
Solicitors Regulation Authority, Ipsley Court, Berrington Close, Redditch B98 0TD
Contacting The Legal Ombudsman (LeO)
Telephone: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
The Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 15870, Birmingham B30 9EB.
Scottish Legal Complaints Commission
Telephone: 0131 528 5111
Email: enquiries@scottishlegalcomplaints.org.uk
Scottish Legal Complaints Commission, The Stamp Office, 10 - 14 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh EH1 3EG
Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal
Telephone: 020 7329 4808
Email: enquiries@solicitorsdt.com
Gate House, 1 Farringdon Street, London EC4M 7LG
