Complaints Handling Policy

Complaints Policy

We value your business and do not wish you to have any reason to be unhappy with us. We are confident of providing a high quality service. It is therefore important that you raise any concerns you may have with us immediately so that we may address them. This will help us to improve our standards.

Our complaints procedure

If you are dissatisfied with the service received or if you are dissatisfied with regard to a charge on a bill received, we would ask that you contact the member of staff who is dealing with your matter.

Alternatively, you may contact Nicholas Price, our Partner, who has been allocated conduct of your complaint.

If he does not resolve the complaint to your satisfaction, we will delegate the handling of your complaint to an independent complaints handler for investigation.

Please set out as clearly as you can the nature of your complaint or concern and how it has arisen.

Please also ensure that your letter states the identity of the person who dealt with your matter and your file reference number.

What will happen next?

Within ten working days of receipt of your complaint we will:

    • Record your complaint in our central database and open a file for your complaint.
    • Send you a letter acknowledging receipt.
    • Ask you to confirm or explain any details, which are unclear.

If we have asked for further details, we will acknowledge those within six working days of receipt and confirm what will happen next.

Our investigation

    • Within fourteen working days of receiving your complaint (or the further details requested), we will ask the member of staff who acted for you to comment and will review your file.
    • Within twenty working days of receiving your complaint (or the further details requested), we will write to you with our view of your complaint, and how to resolve it.
    • We may invite you to a meeting. He will write to you within four working days of the meeting to confirm what took place and any solutions agreed with you.
    • If you are still not satisfied, you can write to us again. We will review our decision and will do the following:

We will invite you to agree to an independent complaints handler to review the complaint and make recommendations, if any. They will do this within fourteen days. In all but exceptional circumstances we will act upon the advice given by the independent complaints handler.

    • We will then write to you confirming our final position on your complaint and explain our reasons.

Making a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman

If you are still not satisfied, the next step is for you to contact the Legal Ombudsman by the following methods:

Telephone: 0300 555 0333

Overseas: +44 12 245 3050

Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

In writing: PO Box 6167, Slough (from Jan 2024)

www.legalombudsman.org.uk

There are time limits as to when you can make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman.  These are as follows:

    • One year from the date that the act/omission you are complaining of occurred, or
    • Within One year from the date that you ought reasonably have known that there were grounds for complaint; and
    • In addition to the above, if you have already raised a complaint with us, you must contact the Legal Ombudsman within 6 months of receiving a final response from us.

Please note that the date of the act or omission you are complaining of, or the date at which you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint must have been after 5 October 2010. The reason for this is that the Legal Ombudsman only started to accept complaints from this date and any earlier complaints would have needed to be raised with their predecessor.

If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.

Making a complaint to the Solicitors Regulation Authority

If you thinks a solicitor might be dishonest or you have concerns about their ethics or integrity, you have the right to notify our regulator, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

There are no time limits for making a report but there are limits on what the SRA will consider.

Please note that the SRA is not able to deal with issues of poor service (complaints of this nature should instead be referred to the Legal Ombudsman).

For further information about the SRA’s role, please contact the SRA or click here

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