Complaints Procedure

Our complaints policy

We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all our clients.  If something goes wrong, please tell us about it.  We will use your feedback to address your concerns and improve our standards in the future.

What will happen next?

1. It is helpful to us if you can put your complaint in writing.  This does not have to be a formal document and we are happy to accept complaints by email.  If it helps, we have a complaint form that you can complete and hand in to the Reception of one of our offices.

2. Once your complaint is received, we will send you a letter acknowledging receipt within three working days of receiving it, enclosing a copy of this procedure.  Our complaints procedure is limited to dealing with complaints about the service you have received from the firm.   Although it is not always straight forward to determine the difference between what is and what is not a service complaint, the most important limitation is that this complaints procedure does not cover the situation where your complaint is that the legal advice you have received is incorrect.  If your complaint is not, therefore, about an issue relating to the service you have received – but is, in fact, an allegation of professional negligence relating to the provision of incorrect legal advice, then you will be advised that we will not be able to investigate the matter under our complaints procedure and to seek independent legal advice regarding bringing a civil action for professional negligence.

3. We will then investigate your complaint.  This will normally involve passing your complaint to the designated complaint handling manager for a particular office.  They will review your complaint and speak to the member of staff who acted for you.  

4. If they feel that it is possible to resolve your complaint informally, then they will seek to do so.  For example, if your concern is that you have not been properly updated on your matter, but are provided with an appropriate update and reassurance with regards how you will be updated in the future, this may resolve the matter.

5. If your complaint cannot be resolved informally, then you will be provided with a written response to your complaint.  This will normally be provided within 21 days of having received your complaint.  If for any reason a longer period is required in order to provide a response you will be notified accordingly.

6. In certain circumstances, it may assist to have a meeting with you – however, this is usually only necessary where the complaint is particularly complicated for some reason.  If you do have a meeting regarding your complaint, a time scale for providing the next response to your complaint in writing will be agreed at that meeting.

7. If you are not satisfied with the written response to your complaint, you should contact us again.  At that stage we will arrange for our Complaints Handling Partner for the firm to review the initial response to the complaint (or for some other Partner if the original complaint was handled by the Complaints Handling Partner). 

8. We will acknowledge your request for a review within 3 working days of receiving your request and we will write a formal response to you within 21 days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.

9. If you are still not satisfied, you can then contact:-

Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6167
Slough
SL1 0EH

Telephone – 0300 555 0333

Email – enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

Normally, you will need to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman (www.legalombudsman.org.uk.) within six months of receiving a final written response from us about your complaint or within a year of the act or omission about which you are complaining occurring (or you becoming aware of it).