Complaints Policy
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.
If you have a complaint, in the first instance, please contact the person handling your case. We hope that most misunderstandings can be resolved at this stage.
If the complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction at this stage, please raise it with Carol Shaw or if the complaint is about Carol Shaw, Lucy Gordon (your “Complaint Handler”). On receipt of your complaint, your Complaint Handler will:
- acknowledge your complaint within 3 days of receipt by email or letter, enclosing a copy of this procedure;
- investigate your complaint which will normally involve our reviewing your matter file and speaking to the member of staff who acted for you;
- provide a detailed response to your complaint in writing by email or letter within 21 days of the our acknowledgment; and
- if a meeting by telephone or in person has been arranged, within 5 days of that meeting, write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions he has agreed with you.
At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will:
- arrange for another Director or Consultant unconnected with the matter at the firm to review the decision; and
- write to you within 14 days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.
If you are still not satisfied, with our response you may complaint in writing or by email to the Legal Ombudsman or the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
The Legal Ombudsman could help if you wish to complain about the work we did on your behalf and/or your bill. Its contact details are : PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH. Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk Telephone number: 0300 555 0333.
Normally, you will need to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving a final written response from us about your complaint. For more information on the Legal Ombudsman service please visit www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Please note from the 1 April 2023 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. The requirement to refer your concerns to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response to you remains the same.
If the Legal Ombudsman is unable for any reason to investigate your complaint, for example you are a business, charity or a club with a turnover of more than £1m, the Legal Ombudsman they may refer it to the Solicitors Regulation Authority or another appropriate body.
If your complaint is about a bill, you may also have a right to apply to the court for an assessment of the bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. You will not be entitled to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman if you apply to the court for a cost assessment.
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. Its contact details are: The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham,B1 1RN Email: report@sra.org.uk Telephone Number: 0370 606 2555
Visit their website to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority