Complaints Handling Policy
Our complaints policy
We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all our clients and to dealing fairly with third parties that we come into contact with. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to improve our standards.
If you have a complaint, please contact us with the details. We have eight weeks to consider your complaint. If we have not resolved it within this time you can complain to the Legal Ombudsman.
What will happen next?
- We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within seven working 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 Complaints Partner, who will review your matter file and speak to the person who acted for you.
- The Complaints Partner will then invite you to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. He will do this within 14 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
- Within seven working days of the meeting The Complaints Partner will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions he has agreed with you.
- If you do not want a meeting or it is not possible, The Complaints Partner will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including his suggestions for resolving the matter, within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
- At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will arrange for an appropriate third party 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 you are still not satisfied, you can then contact the Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6167,
Slough,
SL1 0EH
about your complaint. Normally, you will need to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within:
- six months of receiving a final response from us about 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.
The Legal Ombudsman will retain the ability to apply Rule 4.7, which allows an Ombudsman to exercise discretion to extend the 1 year time limit for specific customers if, on the evidence, it was fair and reasonable to do so. For further information, you should contact the Legal Ombudsman on 0300 555 0333 (between 9.00 to 17.00) or at enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk.