All solicitors must attempt to resolve problems that may arise with their services. This Firm aims to offer all of its clients an efficient and effective service. It is therefore important that you immediately raise any concerns you may have with us. We value you and would not wish to think you have reason to be unhappy with us.
If there should be any aspect of our service or billing with which you are unhappy please raise this with the solicitor dealing with your matter me as soon as possible and, if the issue cannot be resolved and you wish to make a complaint, please notify one of the partners of this firm. You will be provided with the name of the individual to conatct when you engage our services.
The procedure we have to handle complaints is as follows:
- You will be sent a Complaint Form to give us details about your complaint.
- Your complaint will normally be acknowledged within 2 working days of receipt of the completed Complaint Form. You will be told in the acknowledgement letter who is dealing with your complaint (the investigator) and you will be given that person’s contact details.
- Your complaint is logged in our Central Complaints Register, normally within 1 working day of receiving your complaint, and a separate file is opened for your complaint.
- Your Complaint is then investigated in the following way: –
- Your complaint is notified to the Fee Earner concerned, normally within 3 working days of receipt of your complaint.
- The Fee Earner concerned is expected to reply to the investigator within 5 working days.
- That response is considered by the investigator. The investigator also obtains your file. Your compliant is investigated.
- The investigator will then notify you of our response to your complaint and action, if any, proposed. This would normally be done within 5 working days of receiving the Fee Earner’s response.
If you are dissatisfied with our response, we request that you notify the investigator in writing (or email if more convenient for you) within 10 working days. In that event, your complaint will be referred to another partner (member of LLP) who will review the complaint and the reasons why you are dissatisfied. A written response will be sent to you within 10 working days later.
If we are unable to keep to the time limits set out above, for example because of annual leave or sickness absence of the persons involved in the process, you will be notified immediately, 1 working day, and will be given alternative time scales as close as reasonably practicable to those set out above.
If you are not satisfied with our handling of your complaint you can ask the Legal Ombudsman at 0300 555 0333 or www.legalombudsman.org.uk to consider the complaint. Normally, you will need to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving a final written response from us about your complaint.
Please note below the limits for making a complaint about poor service or reporting a solicitor’s conduct. If you contact the Legal Ombudsman outside these deadlines, they may decide not to investigate your complaint.
- Six years of the problem happening or three years from when you found out about it; and
- You are referring your complaint to the Ombudsman within six months of our final response to you