Complaints Procedure

We aim to give every client the best possible service, but we may not always succeed. This is why we have a complaints procedure. If you have a concern or complaint about our service, your bill, or how your personal data is being handled we want to know so what we can take whatever actions are necessary to address your concerns about our service,  so that we can clear up any misunderstanding or put right anything that has gone wrong.

If your complaint concerns how we handle your personal data, please contact Christopher Cook, our Data Protection Officer, who will be able to assist. If you remain concerned, you can also contact the Information Commissioner’s Office.

What to do first if you are dissatisfied or concerned

1.     Resolving complaints informally

If you are concerned about the way the service that the firm is or has provided to you, your bill, or how your personal data is being handled, please raise it with the person dealing with your matter in the first instance. Talking through your concern with the person dealing with the matter is very often the most effective way to resolve the issue.   It is also usually the fastest way to get the resolution you need.

You can contact that person’s head of department if you prefer not to mention the matter to the person doing your work, or you have mentioned it but are still unhappy.  Details of who that person is can be found in your client care letter or email.

Not all complaints need to be handled formally. If the problem turns out to be a misunderstanding or a minor error that can be corrected straight away, we will try to sort it out quickly, and tell you the outcome. If we are unable to do this, we will let you know and tell you why. If we succeed in addressing your concerns informally the outcome will be recorded as part of the correspondence on the file, and we will treat the issue as resolved. This does not however, stop you from mentioning any other concerns that could arise later.

2.     Formal complaints

Any complaint that we cannot resolve informally, whether it was made in writing or by word of mouth, is treated as a formal complaint, and you should contact either Toni Wensley, our operations partner, or Christopher Cook, the senior partner. We will write to you within no more than a week (and normally within a day or two), telling you that we are investigating your complaint and will respond fully within a further period, usually one or two weeks. How soon we can respond depends on how long the investigation will take. If we find that our original time estimate is too short, we will contact you to tell you how much longer we expect to take and why.

1. A senior lawyer will investigate, starting by looking at the file and talking with the person doing your work, to find out what has gone wrong and how we can remedy it. The investigation may take longer if, for instance:
   • there are bulky papers to read, or
   • someone involved in the work is away from the office, or
   • we need information from a third party, or
   • the case is at a stage where an investigation may disrupt urgent work, or
   • there is possible professional negligence to consider.
2. When the investigation is complete, we will write and tell you what we have decided, and why. If we agree that you were right to complain, we will also tell you what we have done, or propose to do, as a result.
3. If you are not satisfied with our decision, you can tell us why you disagree, and we shall be happy to go on discussing it with you, either in correspondence or at a meeting, until a conclusion is reached.
4. We aim to resolve all complaints within the firm if we possibly can.
5. The formal complaint process is always conducted or supervised by a partner in the firm, but it may not be the same partner at all stages.

What to do if you are not able to resolve your complaint with the firm

The Legal Ombudsman

If you are not satisfied with the final outcome of any service related complaint, you can refer it to the Legal Ombudsman.

The Legal Ombudsman handles complaints about solicitors which have not been resolved under the solicitors’ own complaints procedure.  Here is the Ombudsman’s explanation of the time limits that apply from 1 April 2023:

“You will need to contact us within 1 year of the issue you are complaining about or, if it was longer ago, within 1 year of you finding out about the issue. These time limits may be extended in certain circumstances. Remember, you need to complain to your service provider first. They have 8 weeks to resolve your complaint. If you’re not happy with how they resolve things, you should bring your complaint to us within 6 months of their final response.”

• The address of the Legal Ombudsman is PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
• The phone number of the General Enquiries Team is 0300 555 0333
• The email address is enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

If you disagree with our bill

We hope that by keeping you informed about the cost of your case as it progresses, and giving an estimate in advance when we can, we will avoid any disagreement or misunderstanding. However, if for any reason you are unhappy with our charges you should first of all discuss this with the person handling your work, their head of department or one of the partners in the firm. If we cannot reach agreement, you can contact the Legal Ombudsman.  Additionally, you may be entitled to apply to court for an assessment of our bill of costs under sections  70, 71 and 72 of the Solicitors Act 1974.