COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

We are committed to providing a quality legal service to all our clients.  Consequently, it is essential, when something goes wrong or any client believes they have reason to complain, that we have an effective procedures to assist complete and early resolution of the problem.  Only by doing so can we hope to maintain the quality standards we have set, and improve them by learning from what may have gone wrong and what our clients tell us.

The Procedure 

Although not essential, in making your complaint it would be helpful to us if you could provide details of your concerns in writing (if you have not already done so).  If you would prefer not to have to do this, please arrange to see us and we will be pleased to take details from you. 

What will happen next

  1. We will register your complaint on our Register (for monitoring and management information purposes).

Timescale:  Within 2 days of receipt of complaint.

  1. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint, set out our understanding of it and request your confirmation or seek any necessary clarification. We will also confirm who will deal with your complaint.

Timescale: Within 3 days of receipt of complaint.

  1. We will then commence investigation of your complaint. This may involve one or more of the following steps: 
    1. We will ask the case worker who acted for you to provide us with a response to your complaint within 5 days.
    2. We will then examine the response and the file as against your complaint and, if necessary, speak to the case worker.
      Timescale:  Within 3 days of receipt of the response and file
    3. The firm’s client care partner will consider your complaint in the light of what the file reveals and the case worker’s response.
      Timescale: Within 7 days
  1. The firm’s client care partner will then write to you with a detailed response and inviting you to meet with us to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. 

        Timescale: Within a further 3 days

  1. If a meeting between us takes place we will write to you to confirm what took place and detailing any agreed solution that was reached.

Timescale: Within 2 days of the meeting

  1. If a meeting is declined or is for some reason impractical, we will write to you again in an endeavor to resolve the complaint to our mutual satisfaction.
    Timescale: Within 5 days of the meeting being declined

 

      7. What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint

The Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves. They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case.

Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:

  • Within six months of receiving our final response to your complaint

and

  • No more than one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about; or
  • No more than one year from the date when you should reasonably have known that there was cause for complaint.

For more information contact the Legal Ombudsman.

What to do if you are unhappy with our behaviour

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.

Visit their website to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority

If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, their contact details are as follows:-

  • Visit legalombudsman.org.uk
  • Call 0300 555 0333 between 8.30am to 5.30pm (calls to 03 numbers will cost no more than calls to national geographic numbers (starting 01 or 02) from both mobiles and landlines. Calls are recorded and may be used for training and monitoring purposes.)
  • For minicom call 0300 555 1777
  • Email enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
  • Postal address : Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6167 Slough SL1 0EH
  1. Alternative complaints bodies (such as Small Claims Mediation www.small-claims-mediation.co.uk) exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our firm wish to use such a scheme.

We do not agree to use Small Claims Mediation