Complaints Handling

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, including our charges, 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 here: Client feedback + Complaints. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case and you will not be charged for time spent handling your complaint.

What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint

The Legal Ombudsman may be able to help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves. They will look at complaints independently and accessing the Ombudsman will not affect how we handle your case. Most ‘consumer’ clients (as opposed to large businesses) will be able to make use of the Ombudsman scheme; however, there are restrictions for some larger clients. Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will normally check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first.

The Legal Ombudsman expects complaints to be made to them 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 written response to you.

If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them:

• Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
• Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9am to 5pm.
• Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
• Address: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH

Please note that the Ombudsman is there to deal with concerns about the level of service received. Where there are more serious concerns that a solicitor or solicitor’s firm has been involved in professional misconduct, reports can also be made to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the regulator of solicitors and solicitor firms. This could be for quite unusual and serious acts of misconduct such as dishonesty, taking or losing your money, or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability, or other characteristic.

We do not anticipate any such problems arising and would ask that you notify the matter supervisor straight away if you have any such concerns. You can find out more about the Solicitors Regulation Authority, including their contact details and professional conduct rules, on their website: https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor/