Skip to navigation
Dealing effectively with any concerns is part of that service. If you believe our service to you as a client has fallen below these standards we want you to raise the matter so that it can be thoroughly investigated and any necessary action taken to resolve it to your satisfaction.
Set out below are our procedures for dealing with any concerns. They are published internally and all staff are familiar with them. They apply only to our clients. If you are not a client of the firm, then a different process applies. Other parties to litigation or other dispute resolution procedures in which one of our clients is a party should usually raise the matter in the relevant proceedings. Otherwise please see the final section below.
In the first instance please raise any concerns with the person responsible for the day-to-day conduct of the matter. Please provide us with full details of your concerns on the telephone or, if you prefer, at a meeting. We will take a careful note of your concerns and will investigate the matter. If we are claims handling for your Insurer, before proceedings are issued, we will advise you of further procedures which apply in your case.
We will do all we can to resolve the matter to your satisfaction. If we fail to do so, you may make a complaint which will be referred to the Head of Complaints, Michael Dobias. If you have a related claim for compensation our Claims Partner may also contact you.
We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and provide a substantive response within 14 working days. We may ask to meet with you if it appears that this may help resolve your concerns.
Most complaints will be resolved within these procedures, but if you remain dissatisfied your complaint will be referred to the Head of Practice Governance & Risk, Anthony Cherry.
At each stage we will do our best to:
We will record on a database the nature of your complaint, our investigation of it and the remedial action taken and you may also wish to make your own written record of events. You may be asked to confirm in writing if the complaint has been satisfactorily resolved.
If after we have done everything we can to resolve matters ourselves, you are still not satisfied, or at any stage if you prefer, you can contact the Legal Ombudsman if you are an individual or represent a small business, charity or trust. Normally, you will need to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within 6 months of receiving a final written response from us about your complaint. If you are not sure whether the Legal Ombudsman is able to help you, please contact him at:
Address: PO Box 15870, Birmingham, B30 9EB
Phone: 0300 555 0333
email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
If you are not a client we will only be able to deal with your complaint if you are alleging that we have acted in breach of the principles or outcomes provided for in the SRA Handbook. We will ask you to specify the alleged breach before we deal with your complaint. Please send your complaint for the attention of Michael Dobias. We will tell you as soon as reasonably possible if we consider that we agree there has been a breach and apologise if so. If you are not satisfied, or at any time if you prefer, you may ask the Solicitors Regulation Authority to investigate our conduct.
Solicitors Regulation Authority
Ipsley Court
Berrington Close
Redditch
B98 0TD
0870 606 2555 (inside the UK), 09.00 to 17.00, Monday to Friday
info.services@sra.org.uk