We try to ensure that clients are given a prompt, efficient and cost-effective service. However, from time to time there will be occasions when we do not achieve this, and this document tells you about what we shall do to try and resolve any problems as swiftly as possible and what steps we shall take in the future to avoid any repetition. We aim to complete the process within a maximum of eight weeks of your contacting us.
Our definition of a complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction with any element of our service, including our fees, however expressed, which the member of the Firm involved cannot immediately resolve with the person who has expressed dissatisfaction. Any concerns should thus be addressed to the partner with overall supervision of your matter in the first instance or, if you prefer, to Nicola Daniel, our Complaints Officer, who can be contacted on [email protected]. If for any reason Ms Daniel is not available, or your concerns are about her, please contact our Deputy Complaints Officer, Ms Nicola Taylor on [email protected] who will deal with your complaint.
If this initial, informal approach fails to resolve any issues, you should address your concerns formally to the Complaints Officer in writing, if possible.
Our Complaints Handling Procedure
The Complaints Officer will send you a copy of this procedure if requested.
- If you make a formal complaint in person or on the telephone, the Complaints Officer will ask you to confirm the detail of your complaint in writing, either by email or letter, if possible, and once your written formal complaint is received, she will write to you (normally within five working days), acknowledging the complaint and confirming the date by which you will receive a formal response, following her investigation. She will also confirm the name and status of the person handling your complaint.
- When you are content that the details of your complaint are accurate, the Complaints Officer will discuss your concerns with the Supervising Partner of the person who has been dealing with your matter, or with another Supervising Partner if the person about whom you are complaining is a Supervising Partner, and the Fee Earner who dealt with your matter. She will review your file and speak to the person involved as part of her investigation of your complaint.
- The Complaints Officer will investigate your concerns and write to you with a full answer to the issues that you have raised (normally within eight weeks of our having received your formal complaint).
If at any stage we are unable to meet these timescales, we will let you know and explain why.
Complaints should be made to us within 1 year from the date of the act/omission alleged, or within 1 year from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.
What to do if you are still unhappy
At the conclusion of the Complaints Handling Procedure, if you do not feel that we have addressed your concerns to your satisfaction, provided you are a member of the public, a very small business, charity, club or trust, you have a right to refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, who can be contacted on their helpline, 0300 555 0333, via email at [email protected] or in writing to their address at P O Box 6167, Slough SL1 0EH.
If your complaint relates to an invoice, you may also have a right to object to the invoice by applying to the court for an assessment of the invoice under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. We must advise you that if all or part of an invoice remains unpaid we may be entitled to charge interest.
Any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman about any aspect of our service, including costs, must be made within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint and
No more than 1 year from the date of the act/omission alleged or
No more than 1 year from when you should reasonably have known there was cause
for complaint.
Whichever is the later.