Our Complaints Policy
The relationship with your lawyer is built on trust and openness. You should be able to talk to your lawyer frankly about any concerns you may have with the level of service which you receive. These concerns are likely be resolved by a simple phone call with your lawyer. However, if your issue cannot be resolved by discussing it with your lawyer, please follow the steps outlined below.
How do I complain?
We hope that you will never have reason to complain about our service to you. However, if something does go wrong, we need you to tell us about it and would be grateful if you could provide us with the details of your complaint in writing.
Who do I complain to?
Our policy is that wherever possible, complaints are resolved within the department handling your case. If not, you should refer to your Client Care letter and Terms of Business that you were sent at the start of your case. Your Client Care letter will name the person in the firm to whom you should address your complaint.
What happens next?
- We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within 7 days of receiving the same.
- We will then investigate your complaint and write to you with our findings within 28 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter and invite you to a meeting to discuss the matter further if necessary. However, if the complaint is complicated, further time may be needed. If so, we will write to you setting another time limit – this could be up to eight weeks or more.
- If you do not want or are unable to attend a meeting, we will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including our suggestions for resolving the matter.
- Within 7 days of any meeting, we will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions we have agreed with you. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will arrange a review of the decision. 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.
- If you are still not satisfied, you can contact the Legal Ombudsman about your complaint. Any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within six months of the date of our final written response on your complaint, but for further information, you should email the Legal Ombudsman or call 0300 555 0333. You can also write to the Legal Ombudsman at: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 15870, Birmingham, B30 9EB
Solicitors Regulation Authority
The Solicitors Regulation Authority can also help you if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for things like, losing your money, dishonesty, or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or another characteristic. You can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.