If at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service we have provided then you should inform us immediately, so that we can do our best to resolve the problem. We deal with any complaints promptly, fairly, and free of charge.
In the first instance, it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your case to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues at this stage.
If you remain unsatisfied, please contact the Complaints Handler, Fodens Business Centre, M54, Junction 6, Telford, TF3 5HL. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case.
What will happen next?
(a) We will acknowledge your complaint and enclose a Complaint Resolution Form. We will also let you know the name of the person who will be dealing with your complaint ‘the Complaints Handler’.
(b) We will record your complaint in our central register and open a separate file for your complaint.
(c) We will acknowledge your completed Complaint Resolutions Form and confirm what will happen next.
(d) We will then start to investigate your complaint. This will normally involve the following steps:
(i) A discussion with the person who acted for you.
(ii) An examination of the relevant file of papers.
(iii) Where appropriate (for example where further
clarification may be required) a discussion with you.
(iv) Upon completing the investigation the Complaints Handler will send you a detailed reply to your complaint and include proposals for resolving the matter and if appropriate an invitation to discuss matters with you either by telephone or in person as the circumstances require and are necessary to resolve your complaint.
(v) Following any discussion the Complaints Handler will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions that have been agreed with you. We aim to investigate the complaint and resolve the matter within 8 weeks of the complaint being received.
(vi) At this stage, if you are still not satisfied you can write to us again. We will then arrange to review the decision. This will happen in one of the following ways:
(vii) The Complaints Handler’s decision will be reviewed.
(viii) We will ask our local Law Society or another local firm of solicitors to review your complaint. We will let you know how long this process will take.
(ix) We will invite you to agree to independent mediation. We will let you know how long this process will take.
(x) We will let you know the result of the review at the end of the review. At this time we will write to you confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.
We will also give you the name and address of the Legal Ombudsman. If you are still not satisfied, you can contact them about your complaint.
(e) At the conclusion of our complaints process if you remain dissatisfied you may take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman.
You must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:
• Within six months of receiving our final response to your complaint, and
• No more than one year from the date of the act/omission; or
• No more than one year from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.
If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them.
Legal Ombudsman contact details
Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9am to 5pm.
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
What to do if you are unhappy with our behaviour
The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for things like conduct, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.
Visit their website to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.