Complaints Procedure

Complaints Handling Procedure

We operate an internal complaints procedure. This is operated to address complaints from clients and to improve our quality of service. The service is free of charge. Our aim is for the service to be simple and easy to use. Your complaint will not affect the way that we treat you in the future.

Our Client Care Officer is Mr Richard Vaux. He is a Partner of the firm. He will either investigate any complaint that can’t be resolved informally or delegate it to another Partner or Supervisor who is suitably qualified to investigate your complaint.

Informal Stage

Should you have the cause to make a complaint we ask that you initially attempt to resolve the issue with the fee earner in charge of your case. If your complaint cannot be resolved at that level or, due to the nature of the complaint, it is not appropriate to make the complaint to that particular person, your complaint can be addressed to our Client Care Officer.

Formal Stage

Our Investigating Officer will invite you to meet at a mutually convenient time, to clarify the exact nature of your complaint, before beginning an investigation. Your complaint may be made in person, over the telephone or in writing, subject to your preference. We will record the nature of your complaint in a letter unless agreed otherwise.

The Investigating Officer will consider your complaint with reference to your file of papers and an interview with any fee earner concerned. If need be, the Investigating Officer will ask you for further details by personal interview, telephone or letter.

Our aim is to resolve the problem as quickly as possible, and within 14 days of the full complaint being received by our Investigating officer. If it proves impossible to resolve the complaint within 14 days we will inform you of when we intend to resolve the complaint and our reasons.

If the Investigating Officer considers that the complaint is justified then it will be resolved positively. We will attempt to find a fair solution, for example by an apology, an explanation, transfer of your case to another fee earner, compensation or whatever measure might be considered appropriate. We will take into account inconvenience caused in having to make the complaint.

Our conclusion will be confirmed in writing unless you agree otherwise. All relevant paperwork will be kept in our central register of complaints.

Review Procedure

If you remain dissatisfied after your complaint has been investigated you can ask us to review our decision. We would ask you to provide us with details of why you are dissatisfied and how you expect us to resolve your complaint.

If an error has been made in recording the nature of your complaint then our Investigating Officer will review our decision. If it is not appropriate for our Investigating Officer to review the decision, or you specify that you wish for the decision to be reviewed by someone else then a Partner from the firm, other than our Investigating Officer, will conduct the review. The outcome of the review will be sent to yourself in writing, within 14 days of your request for review, unless we agree otherwise.

What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint

The Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves. They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case.

Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:

• Within six months of receiving our final response to your complaint and
• No more than one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about; or
• No more than one year from the date when you should reasonably have known that there was cause for complaint.

For more information contact the Legal Ombudsman.

What to do if you are unhappy with our behaviour

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help 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.

Visit their website to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.