Complaints Policy

We want to give you the best possible service.  However, 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.

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 would like to make a formal complaint, then you can read our full complaints procedure below.

Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help you if you are concerned about our behaviour.  This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.  You can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint. 

The Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves.  They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case.

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 take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:-

  1. within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint;
  2. no more than six years from the date of act/omission; and/or
  3. no more than three years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.

Full Complaints Procedure

We are committed to providing a high quality legal service to all our clients.  When something goes wrong we need you to tell us about it.  This will help us to improve our service.

If you have a complaint:-

  1. please write to us with the details.
  2. We will then send you a letter acknowledging your complaint and ask you to confirm or explain the details set out. You can expect to receive our letter within three working days of us receiving your complaint.
  3. We will record your complaint in our Central Register and open a separate file.
  4. We will then start to investigate your complaint. This will normally involve the following steps.
    • we will pass your complaint to Mrs Karen Sampson, our Complaints Handling Officer within three working days.
    • she will discuss the complaint with the member of staff who acted for you.
    • she will reply to you in full within ten working days.
  5. If you are unhappy with the outcome following our Final Written Response the matter can be referred to the Legal Ombudsman. Complaints should be referred to the Legal Ombudsman not later than 6 months after our Final Written Response and no later than 12 months from when the problem first happened, or from when you should reasonably have become aware of the problem.
  6. You can call the Legal Ombudsman on 0300 555 0333. The Legal ombudsman is open Monday to Friday between 8.30am and 5.30pm.  If you are calling from overseas, you can call +44 121 245 3050.
  7. You can also email the Legal Ombudsman atenquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk.
  8. If you prefer, you can write to the Legal Ombudsman at Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806 Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ
  9. You can find out more about the Legal Ombudsman at the website legalombudsman.org.uk

If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will of course let know and explain our reasons why.