Our complaints procedure
We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all our clients. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to improve our standards.
Our complaints procedure
If you have a complaint, please contact us with the details
What will happen next?
- We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within seven days of us receiving the complaint
- We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to our Complaints Manager and Practice Manager, Ogo Chime. He might deal with the complaint himself or might appoint a responsible senior member of the team to deal with your complaint.
- The Senior member of the team dealing with your complaint will review your matter and speak to the member of staff who acted for you.
- S/he will then invite you to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. S/he will do this within 3 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter
- Within three days of the meeting, the senior member of the team dealing with your complaint will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions s/he has agreed with you.
- If you do not want a meeting or it is not possible, s/he will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including his/her suggestions for resolving the matter, within 8weeks of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
- Within 8 weeks of receipt of a complaint, we will either send:
(i) a final response which upholds the complaint and, where appropriate, offers redress or rejects the complaint and gives reasons for doing so; or
(ii) a response explaining that we are not in a position to make a final response, giving reasons for the delay and indicating when we expect to be able to provide a final response.
- Should you still not be satisfied with our handling of your complaint you can request that the Legal Ombudsman consider your complaint. Ordinarily, you can ask Legal Ombudsman to look at your complaint if it meets all three of the steps below:
- The problem, or when you found out about it, happened after 5 October 2010; and
- You are referring your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within either of the following:
- Six years of the problem happening; or
- Three years from when you found out about it; and
- You are referring your complaint to Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response.
Contact details for the Legal Ombudsman are copied below:
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0300 555 0333
Minicom: 0300 555 1777
Overseas: +44 121 245 3050
Postal address: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and give the reasons.
However, you can directly report to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) who 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 find information about raising your concerns with the SRA.
When reporting to the SRA, please:
- Set out your concerns clearly,
- Identify individuals you consider responsible,
- Attach any evidence you have in support.