Complaints Policy

Complaints Handling Procedure

We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all our clients.  If you are a client of this firm and are dissatisfied with any aspect of the service we provide, you are entitled to complain.  When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it immediately; this will help us to improve our standards.  Our policy is to review client complaints objectively and take a constructive approach to reaching a satisfactory conclusion.

Our Complaints Procedure

If you have a complaint about the way in which we have handled your matter, or the level of our fees, you can complain to the partner responsible for the matter concerned or, if that is not appropriate, to the senior partner, Patrick Moran.  If the complaint relates to a matter handled by Patrick Moran, you can complain to Paul Isherwood.

What will happen next?

  1.   We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within three working days of receiving it.  We will let you know the name of the person who will handle your complaint.  Your complaint will be recorded in our Complaints Register.
  2.   We will then investigate your complaint.  This will normally involve passing your complaint to Patrick Moran, who will review the matter and speak with the member of staff who acted for you.
  3.   We will then either write to you with a formal response to your complaint, or invite you to a meeting to discuss, and hopefully resolve, your complaint.  We will do this within fifteen working days of our sending you the acknowledgement letter.
  4.   Within three working days of any meeting, we will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions that were agreed with you.
  5.   If you do not want a meeting, or a meeting is not possible, we will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including our suggestions for resolving the matter, within fifteen working days of our sending you the acknowledgement letter.
  6.   At that stage, if you are still not satisfied, you may contact us again and we will arrange for another partner to review the decision.
  7.   We will write to you within fifteen working days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position relating to your complaint and explaining our reasons.
  8.   If we have to change any of the timescales mentioned above, we will let you know and explain the reason.
  9.   If we have been unable to resolve your complaint, you have a right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman.  It will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case.  The Legal Ombudsman is an independent and impartial lay body for members of the public who wish to make a complaint about a solicitor who has acted for them.  It operates within a regulatory and disciplinary framework set and enforced by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.  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 bring your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within one year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned, or within one year of you realising there was a concern.  You must also refer your concerns to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response to you. 

    The contact details of the Legal Ombudsman are:

    Website:  www.legalombudsman.org.uk
    E-mail:  enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
    Post:  Legal Ombudsman, P.O. Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
    Telephone:  0300 555 0333 between 10.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m.



  10. Alternative complaints bodies (such as Ombudsman Services, ProMediate and Small Claims Mediation) exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and this firm wish to use such a scheme.
  11. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of a complaint in relation to our invoice, you may also apply to the Court for an assessment of the invoice under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974.  You may, however, be responsible for the costs of any such assessment if the invoice is not reduced.
  12. If you have concerns about a solicitor who you have not instructed, or if your complaint relates to a breach of Solicitors Regulation Authority Principles, or to an allegation of dishonesty or discrimination, you should report the matter to the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

    The contact details of the Solicitors Regulation Authority are:

    Website:  www.sra.org.uk
    E-mail:  contactcentre@sra.org.uk
    Post:  SRA Contact Centre, The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham, B1 1RN
    Telephone:  0370 606 2555

     

 

 

 

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