A new pressure group seeking an ombudsman to regulate the legal profession was in Limerick this week holding the third of a series of meetings around the State.
The Victims of the Legal Profession Society was formed as a result of disenchantment some people feel with their solicitors or with the judicial system.
Ms Margaret Carmody, the secretary of the group, said members were looking for the Law Society to be deregulated and were asking the electorate to lobby politicians in the run-up to the election. "There are hundreds of people out there who have complaints and they seem to get nowhere when they go as far as the Law Society."
She said the 1,200 complaints to the Law Society annually was an enormous amount for a professional body. Most were about "professional misconduct breach of trust, the misappropriation of funds and the excessive legal fees charged to get a solicitor or go to a court to get justice".
Court offices were not user-friendly, she said. "While we appreciate they are not information offices, nevertheless they are representing the justice department of this country."
Mr Ken Murphy, director general of the Law Society, said it was not entirely self-regulating and it had elaborate structures for examining complaints. There was a strong external overseeing role with nominees from IBEC, ICTU and the Director of Consumer Affairs. There were also nominees appointed by the Minister for Justice.