This form is for making a complaint about a lawyer. The Office of the NSW Legal Services Commissioner (OLSC) receives and deals with complaints about lawyers resident and practising in NSW.   We cannot provide legal advice or representation to members of the public, cannot intervene in pending court proceedings and cannot overturn findings or orders made by a Court or Tribunal.  If you require legal assistance, please contact LawAccess NSW on 1300 888 529.

OLSC cannot take action to resolve a dispute between you and your lawyer unless you or the lawyer has made a reasonable attempt to resolve the matter and the attempt has been unsuccessful, or it would be unreasonable to expect you to be involved in such an attempt.

We recommend you contact our Inquiry Line on 1800 242 958 (toll free within Australia) or 02 9377 1800 before making a complaint.  After contacting Inquiry Line, persons wishing to make a complaint about a lawyer in New South Wales should complete a complaint form. Once submitted, it may take OLSC some weeks to assess your complaint.

Please read the following information before you complete this form.

·       Fact sheets can be viewed for an explanation of how complaints in various areas of law are dealt with. You can also contact us for a hard copy.

·       Please provide a brief outline of your complaint and describe what it is you believe the lawyer has done wrong eg. overcharged, not followed your instructions, provided poor quality legal services, caused delay. The information you provide on this form will help us to understand your complaint.

·       Please attach copies of key documents which relate to your complaint.
Note: processing of your complaint may take longer if you raise multiple issues and attach numerous documents.  It is best to focus on the key issues in your complaint.  For all documents you attach, you must pinpoint the specific part(s) of each document that support your complaint.

·       A separate complaint form must be completed for each lawyer you wish to complain about.

·       OLSC will usually provide a copy of your complaint to the lawyer.  In the event OLSC decides to investigate a complaint, the lawyer is entitled to a summary or details of the complaint, and has a right to make submissions in relation to it.