Complaints procedure
We are committed to providing a service to our clients of the highest quality. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to resolve any mistakes or misunderstandings, and to improve our standards.
If you have a complaint, please raise the matter with the lawyer responsible for your matter, or if you prefer, our Complaints Partner, James Moore, who can be contacted at:
The Law Chambers
23 Briggs House
26 Commercial Road,
Poole
Dorset
BH14 0JR.
What will happen next?
1. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint in writing within 3 days of receiving it.
2. We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve our Complaints Partner reviewing your file and speaking to the member of staff who acted for you.
3. Within 14 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter our Complaints Partner will invite you to a meeting to discuss and resolve your complaint. If you do not want a meeting, or it is not possible to facilitate a face-to-face meeting, our Complaints Partner may instead offer you a chance to discuss the matter by telephone.
4. Within 3 days of the meeting, or any telephone conversation we have with you instead of a face-to-face meeting, our Complaints Partner will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions we have agreed with you.
5. In all cases, 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 written acknowledgement of your complaint referred to in paragraph 1 above (or within 7 days of the face-to-face meeting/telephone conversation, whichever is the sooner).
6. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will review the decision.
7. 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. We will also inform you in writing (within 8 weeks of your original complaint) of any right you have to complain to the Legal Ombudsman (see paragraph 8 below). Additionally, if the complaints procedure is exhausted and we cannot settle the complaint, where we agree to use alternative dispute resolution (ADR) we will provide you with the name and website address of an approved ADR provider competent to deal with the complaint.
8. You can 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 written response on your complaint, but for further information you should contact the Legal Ombudsman on 0300 555 0333 or at [email protected]. Please note that the Legal Ombudsman service cannot be used by businesses or most other organisations unless they are below certain size limits. Further details are available from the Legal Ombudsman.
9. A record of all complaints will be kept in a complaints file and reviewed by James Moore annually.
10. If we have to change any of these timescales we will let you know and explain why.
If you are dissatisfied with the service we have provided then you have the right to complain. The Legal Ombudsman service has been operational since October 6th, 2010 and is ultimately responsible for ensuring that complaints are dealt with appropriately.
However, before you contact the Legal Ombudsman you must first register an official complaint with us. Normally, the Legal Ombudsman expects you to give us 8 weeks to try to resolve the matter. If after 8 weeks you are still dissatisfied you can then involve the Legal Ombudsman. For more information on how the Legal Ombudsman works please visit the Legal Ombudsman website.
In normal circumstances you are required to register a complaint within one year. You must then give us 8 weeks to try to resolve your complaint before contacting the Legal Ombudsman. A complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must normally be made within six months of the date of the conclusion of the Firm's complaints procedure. In summary:
To register a formal complaint, please write to us and include all the information suggested by the Legal Ombudsman - their website includes some useful resources.
In addition to the Legal Ombudsman, several other complaints bodies exist which are also able to deal with complaints about legal services - these are:
You may also choose to make a report to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). This could be if you are concerned about our professional behaviour or conduct, such as for things like dishonesty, deliberately overcharging you, or treating you unfairly because of a characteristic such as your age, sex or a disability.
You can find out how to make a report at https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor or contact the SRA at their details below:
Solicitors Regulation Authority,
The Cube,
199 Wharfside Street,
Birmingham,
B1 1RN
Tel: 0370 606 2555
If you have a complaint, please raise the matter with the lawyer responsible for your matter, or if you prefer, our Complaints Partner, James Moore, who can be contacted at:
The Law Chambers
23 Briggs House
26 Commercial Road,
Poole
Dorset
BH14 0JR.
What will happen next?
1. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint in writing within 3 days of receiving it.
2. We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve our Complaints Partner reviewing your file and speaking to the member of staff who acted for you.
3. Within 14 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter our Complaints Partner will invite you to a meeting to discuss and resolve your complaint. If you do not want a meeting, or it is not possible to facilitate a face-to-face meeting, our Complaints Partner may instead offer you a chance to discuss the matter by telephone.
4. Within 3 days of the meeting, or any telephone conversation we have with you instead of a face-to-face meeting, our Complaints Partner will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions we have agreed with you.
5. In all cases, 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 written acknowledgement of your complaint referred to in paragraph 1 above (or within 7 days of the face-to-face meeting/telephone conversation, whichever is the sooner).
6. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will review the decision.
7. 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. We will also inform you in writing (within 8 weeks of your original complaint) of any right you have to complain to the Legal Ombudsman (see paragraph 8 below). Additionally, if the complaints procedure is exhausted and we cannot settle the complaint, where we agree to use alternative dispute resolution (ADR) we will provide you with the name and website address of an approved ADR provider competent to deal with the complaint.
8. You can 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 written response on your complaint, but for further information you should contact the Legal Ombudsman on 0300 555 0333 or at [email protected]. Please note that the Legal Ombudsman service cannot be used by businesses or most other organisations unless they are below certain size limits. Further details are available from the Legal Ombudsman.
9. A record of all complaints will be kept in a complaints file and reviewed by James Moore annually.
10. If we have to change any of these timescales we will let you know and explain why.
If you are dissatisfied with the service we have provided then you have the right to complain. The Legal Ombudsman service has been operational since October 6th, 2010 and is ultimately responsible for ensuring that complaints are dealt with appropriately.
However, before you contact the Legal Ombudsman you must first register an official complaint with us. Normally, the Legal Ombudsman expects you to give us 8 weeks to try to resolve the matter. If after 8 weeks you are still dissatisfied you can then involve the Legal Ombudsman. For more information on how the Legal Ombudsman works please visit the Legal Ombudsman website.
In normal circumstances you are required to register a complaint within one year. You must then give us 8 weeks to try to resolve your complaint before contacting the Legal Ombudsman. A complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must normally be made within six months of the date of the conclusion of the Firm's complaints procedure. In summary:
- You must register your complaint with us within one year
- The Legal Ombudsman expects you to give us 8 weeks to try to resolve your complaint
- After this time, you can contact the Legal Ombudsman (but you must do so within 6 months)
To register a formal complaint, please write to us and include all the information suggested by the Legal Ombudsman - their website includes some useful resources.
In addition to the Legal Ombudsman, several other complaints bodies exist which are also able to deal with complaints about legal services - these are:
You may also choose to make a report to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). This could be if you are concerned about our professional behaviour or conduct, such as for things like dishonesty, deliberately overcharging you, or treating you unfairly because of a characteristic such as your age, sex or a disability.
You can find out how to make a report at https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor or contact the SRA at their details below:
Solicitors Regulation Authority,
The Cube,
199 Wharfside Street,
Birmingham,
B1 1RN
Tel: 0370 606 2555
