Complaints Handling 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. If at any point you become unhappy with the service we provide to you or you have concerns about your bill, then you should inform us immediately so that we can do our best to resolve the problem for you.
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 three days of receiving it, enclosing a copy of this procedure.
- We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to our Principal Solicitor, Mr Richard Port, who will review your matter file and speak to the member of staff who acted for you. If your complaint is about Richard Port and his work carried out on your behalf, then he will ensure that your file together with your complaint is considered by an independent Compliance Consultant.
- You will then be invited to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. This will be done within 14 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
- Within three days of the meeting, Mr Port/the Compliance Consultant will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions agreed with you.
- If you do not want a meeting or it is not possible, Mr Port/the Compliance Consultant will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including suggestions for resolution of the matter, within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
- If we are unable to resolve your complaint within eight (8) weeks after you have brought it to our attention, then you can have the complaint independently looked at by the Legal Ombudsman. The Legal Ombudsman investigates complaints about poor service from lawyers.
- You may also make a complaint to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (the SRA) if you are concerned about a solicitor’s behaviour. As solicitors, we are authorised and regulated by the SRA, so all the services we provide are regulated by the SRA. The SRA can help you, or take action, when solicitors are dishonest, steal from clients, treat clients unfairly, shut down without telling their clients or otherwise break the SRA’s rules. To see how you can raise your concerns with the SRA, please refer to the relevant section of their website which can be found here: Report a Solicitor
The Legal Ombudsman can investigate complaints. You must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint from us. From 1 April 2023, the Legal Ombudsman also expects complaints to be made to them within 1 year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned or within 1 year of you realising there was a concern.
If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them:
Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9am to 5pm
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Post: Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
Calls from both mobiles and landlines to 03 numbers cost no more than calls to national geographic numbers (starting 01 or 02). Calls are recorded and may be used for training and monitoring purposes.
Do not send original documents to the Legal Ombudsman. They will scan any documents you send to make computer copies and then destroy the originals.
- If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.
- We will not charge you for handling your complaint.