Complaints Procedure

On receipt of a complaint he/she will:

a) Advise you in writing:
  i) How the complaint will be handled; and
  ii) The time scale within which they will be given and initial and/or substantive response.

b) Review the file and ask for full details from you, either in writing or by interview.

c) Review the matter with the fee-earner.

The purpose of the investigation is to:

a) Identify the cause(s) that lead to the complaint;
b) Correct any unsatisfactory procedures that came to light;
c) Identify the appropriate redress for you.

The whole object is to ensure that you:

a) are satisfied that the complaint has been dealt with seriously;

b) get a prompt response;

c) are assured that the matter is being reviewed;

d) are notified as soon as possible of the outcome.

The firm may deal with a complaint by:

a) an apology from the firm, with an assurance that it will not happen again and that we will endeavour to do better from that point onwards;

b) a reduction in the bill;

c) abatement of the bill in total;

d) notifying you of your right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman;

e) notifying you of your right to see another solicitor and obtain advice as to whether there has been negligence;

f) providing a detailed explanation of why we consider the complaint to be without merit;

g) offering another fee-earner within the firm to take over the file.

All complaints will be notified to the Head of Department and Senior Partner, the latter of whom keeps the central register of complaints received by the firm.

Should you wish to receive a copy of this procedure please ask the person dealing with your matter.

Legal Ombudsman

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your complaint to us, you can complain to the Legal Ombudsman, an independent body which deals with complaints about poor service by solicitors and other regulated legal service providers. The Legal Ombudsman will generally check that you have raised the matter with us before they become involved.

The Legal Ombudsman can be contacted by:

Telephone – 0300 555 0333

Email – enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

Post – Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ

Website – www.legalombudsman.org.uk

You must normally refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within 6 months of receiving our final written response and within 6 years of the problem happening or 3 years from when you found out about the problem.

Further information can be found by clicking on the SRA logo on our homepage.

Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)

The SRA set the rules that govern our conduct and behaviour and you can complain to them if you have concerns about this.

You can contact the SRA by: telephone – 0370 606 2555 (+44 (0)121 329 6800 for international callers); post – Solicitors Regulation Authority, The Cube, 199 Wharf Street, Birmingham B1 1RN or via their website – www.sra.org.uk

Further information including the SRA Principles which we must follow can be found by clicking on the SRA logo on our homepage.