Compaints Procedure

My Complaints Policy

I am committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all of my Clients. When something goes wrong, I need you to tell me about it. This will help me to maintain and improve my standards.

My Complaints Procedure

If you have a complaint, please contact me with the details.

What will happen next?

1. I will send you a letter acknowledging your complaint and asking you to confirm or explain the details. I will also let you know who will be dealing with your complaint. You can expect to receive my letter within two days of me receiving your complaint.

2. I will record your complaint in my central register and open a file for your complaint. I will do this within a day of receiving your complaint.

3. I will acknowledge your reply and confirm what will happen next. You can expect to hear from me within a day of your reply.

4. I will then start to investigate your complaint. This may involve one or more of the following steps:-

If I acted for you, I will consider your complaint again. I will then send you my detailed reply or invite you to a meeting to discuss the matter. I will do this within 10 days.
If someone else acted for you, I will ask them to give me their reply to your complaint within five days. I will do this within a day.
I will then examine their reply and the information in your complaint file. I may also speak to the person who acted for you. I will do this within three days of receiving their reply and the file.
I will ask another independent local Solicitor to investigate your complaint and report to me. I will do this within three days.

5. I will then write inviting you to meet me and discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. I will do this within three days.

6. Within two days of the meeting, I will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions I have agreed with you. If you do not want a meeting or it is not possible, I will send you a detailed reply to your complaint. This will include my suggestions for resolving the matter. I will do this within five days of completing my investigation.

7. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you can let me know. I will then arrange to review my decision. This may happen in one of the following ways:-

I will then review the decision myself within five days.
I will arrange for someone who is not connected with the complaint to review my decision. I will do this within ten days.
I will ask my local Law Society or another independent local Solicitor to review your complaint within ten days. I will let you know how long this process will take.
I will invite you to agree to independent mediation within five days. I will let you know how long this will take.

8. I will let you know the result of the review within five days of the end of the review. At this time, I will write to you confirming my final position on your complaint and explaining my reasons.

If you are still not satisfied, you can then contact the Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ about your complaint.

Any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within 6 months of the date of our final decision on your complaint but for further information, you should contact the Legal Ombudsman (Helpline number: 0300 555 0333) or refer to their website at www.legalombudsman.org.uk

If I have to change any of the timescales above, I will let you know and explain why.