More than 300 complaints about the legal profession were received between October and December last year by the body which has taken over investigating such complaints.
The Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) began receiving and investigating complaints about solicitors and barristers on 7 October 2019.
During the 12 weeks to the end of December, it received a total of 304 complaints. 301 of these related to solicitors and three related to barristers.
Almost half of the complaints related to inadequate standard of services. There were 134 complaints alleging misconduct and 29 complaints about alleged overcharging.
Among the areas complained about were wills and probate, litigation, conveyancing and family law.
The authority says nine complaints involved issues relating to alleged criminal activity with a majority making allegations against what is suspected to be a bogus law firm. These were referred to An Garda Síochána.
Chief Executive of the LSRA Brian Doherty said it had been expecting a spike in complaints but it was still too early to point to particular trends in relation to them.
But he said allegations of poor communication between legal professionals and their clients was emerging as a strong feature across almost all complaints.
He said regular and timely communication with clients appeared to be a key lesson for practitioners in preventing and settling complaints before they escalate.
The authority is due to publish the first of its six monthly reports, setting out complaints in detail, in April.
