Complaints Handling Policy
We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to our clients. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to sort out any mistakes or misunderstandings, and to improve our standards.
If you have a complaint, please raise the problem with the person dealing with your matter, or if you prefer, Nick Hampton, the Client Care Partner. We have eight weeks to consider your complaint. If we have not resolved it within this time, you may complain to the Legal Ombudsman.
What will happen next?
1. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint in writing within three days of receiving it, enclosing a copy of this policy.
2. We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve a supervisor reviewing your file and speaking to the member of staff who acted for you and/or the Supervising Partner.
3. Within 14 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter we will either telephone or meet with you to discuss and try to resolve your complaint.
4. Within three days of the meeting or telephone conversation, we will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions we have agreed with you.
5. In any case we will send a detailed written reply to your complaint, including our suggestions for resolving the matter, within 21 days of sending you the written acknowledgement of your complaint referred to in paragraph 1 above.
6. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will arrange for the Client Care Partner, Nick Hampton, to review the decision.
7. We will write to you within 14 days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.
8. If we have to change any of these timescales, we will let you know and explain why.
9. However clients who are an individual, or a micro enterprise, a charity or club with an annual income of less than GBP 1m or a trustee of a trust with an asset value of less than GBP 1m also can refer their complaint to the Legal Ombudsman.
The Legal Ombudsman expects complaints to be made to them within a year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned or within a year of you realising there was a concern. You must also refer your concerns to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response to you.
You can contact the Legal Ombudsman by:
Telephone: 0300 555 0333 Minicom: 0300 555 1777
Email on enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Post: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
For further details, please visit www.legalombudsman.org.uk.
10. Alternative complaint bodies such as Pro Mediate UK Limited (www.promediate.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 agree to use such a scheme.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help you 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.
You can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.