COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
We endeavour to offer all our clients an efficient and effective service, and to charge a fair and reasonable amount for that. Should there be any aspect of our service with which you are unhappy, including our bills, we will also try to address the complaint promptly and effectively with the intention of reaching an outcome which is acceptable to both you and us.
Our Terms of Business specify that any complaint should first be referred to the person who has dealt with the matter on a day to day basis, and if not immediately resolved, then to the Partner with overall responsibility for the matter (whose name will have been notified to you in our Client Care letter). We hope that a conclusion can be reached at this level, but if not, you should notify your complaint in writing to the Complaints Partner, Michael Chan.
On receipt of a letter or email of complaint addressed to the Complaints Partner, your communication will be acknowledged within two working days.
The file will be reviewed by the Complaints Partner, or another Partner to whom he may delegate dealing with the complaint if for any reason he is not able to deal with the complaint within a timely period.
Within not more than ten working days, a further letter will be sent which will:
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notify you who will be dealing with your complaint;
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ask, if necessary, for any further information;
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propose, if we consider it appropriate to do so, a meeting to discuss and endeavour to resolve your complaint;
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alternatively, either address your complaint in detail, or indicate the date by which we expect to be able to do so.
If any meeting takes place, we will prepare a file note of that meeting and the conclusions it reached. A copy of the note will be provided to you within three working days of the meeting.
We hope that it is possible to resolve all complaints within this procedure and we will provide our final written response within six weeks of notification to the Complaints Partner. There is no provision in our procedure for an appeal or internal review.
If you are still not satisfied with our handling of your complaint, you may then refer it to The Legal Ombudsman, who handles complaints against all lawyers. Normally you would need to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving our final written response. The Legal Ombudsman can be contacted at PO Box 6167, Slough SL1 0EH, telephone: 0300 555 0333 or (from overseas) +44 121 245 3050 email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk.
If your complaint relates to an invoice, Sections 70, 71 and 72 of the Solicitors Act 1974 also give you the right to have our bill assessed by a Costs Judge, but it is up to you to apply to the High Court within one month from delivery of the bill. An application made after one month may be granted by the court subject to conditions.