Last Updated 25th February 2020.
Our complaints policy
We want to give you the best possible service. However, if at any point you become unhappy with the service we provide to you, then please inform us immediately so that we can do our best to resolve the problem for you.
We will ensure that all complaints are investigated promptly and thoroughly. If we have to change any of the timescales below, we will let you know and explain why.
Our complaints procedure
If you have a complaint about any aspect of our service (including any complaint about our charges), please make known your concern to the member of the firm who has been advising you. You can also refer this complaint directly to the firm’s Client Care Director, Steven Hardy. If the Client Care Director was involved in the matter which gave rise to your complaint, it will be handled by an independent Director.
What will happen next?
- If the adviser concerned is unable to resolve the problem to your satisfaction, the complaint will be referred to the firm’s Client Care Director, who will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint, enclosing a copy of this procedure. You will normally receive this letter within three working days of the complaint.
- We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve our Client Care Director reviewing your file and speaking to the member of staff who acted for you.
- Our Client Care Director will then invite you to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. This will be arranged within 14 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
- Within three working days of the meeting, our Client Care Director will write to you to confirm the discussions that took place, and any solutions you agreed.
- If it is not possible to arrange a meeting, or you do not wish to attend a meeting, our Client Care Director will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including suggestions for resolving the matter, within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
- If you are still not satisfied at this stage, you should contact us again and we will arrange for another Director unconnected with the matter to review 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 the complaint related to our bill, quite separately from the above, there may also be a right to object to it by applying to the court for an assessment of the bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. However, if all or part of the bill remains unpaid and the complaint is not upheld, we may charge interest on the amount outstanding.
What do to if we cannot resolve your complaint
If we are unable to resolve your complaint then you can have the complaint independently looked at by the Legal Ombudsman. The Legal Ombudsman investigates complaints about service issues with lawyers.
The Legal Ombudsman expects complaints to be made to them within one year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned or within one year of you realising there was a concern. You must also refer your concerns to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response to you.
If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them.
- Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
- Call: 0300 555 0333
- Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
- Write: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help you if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.
You can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.