COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

None of us likes to be the subject of a complaint, but if the firm is truly committed to providing a quality service to clients all personnel need to pick up on client dissatisfaction when it does arise and address it as best they can. The firm therefore operates a complaints handling process that seeks to ensure that it:

• knows about client dissatisfaction when if and when it does arise;
• takes all reasonable steps to ensure that the dissatisfaction is addressed and resolved wherever possible;
• reassures all clients who do complain that the firm will address their concerns without delayand that it takes all complaints seriously;
• learns from experience to lessen the risk of complaints in the future.A complaint is any expression of client dissatisfaction however it is expressed or any expression of client dissatisfaction which the fee earner is unable immediately to resolve.Some degree of common sense is needed in the application of the complaints handling procedure. If a client says ‘you solicitors charge a lot for what you do’ it would not usually be sufficient to amount to a complaint. If, however, the client claims that a quote or agreed costs ceiling has been exceeded without notice to them it almost certainly will be. If, on checking the file, the fee earner is able to advise the client that a letter that the client had overlooked had been written to warn that the costs would be greater than previously discussed, the problem would probably have been dealt with and there would be no need to report the complaint as such. In all cases, however, it is necessary to take a view on how the client is reacting to the particular circumstances.All firms are obliged to make a copy of their complaints procedure available on request. The existence of the procedure is referred to in the firm’s client care letter and the full version can be found on the firm’s intranet.

REPORTING A COMPLAINT

If it is necessary to report a complaint please contact the Principal Solicitor, Jawad Babar on [email protected] first. Details of the complaint must be recorded in the central folder of complaints with clear timescales and actions necessary in order to resolve the complaint.

As required by our complaints policy, Jawad Babar will consider any complaint received in as objective a manner as possible and seek to resolve the dissatisfaction. In particular he will offer to meet with the complainant when possible and suggest appropriate redress. In so doing they will also consider if a notification need to be made to the insurers and also consider if any aspect of the quality system needs amendment.

COMPLAINTS REFERRED TO THE  LEGAL OMBUDSMAN 

If it is not possible to resolve your complaint, then you may be able to direct your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman. The Legal Ombudsman could help you if you are not happy with a solicitor’s work or service.

We want to give you the best possible service, but if at any point you become unhappy with the service our lawyer has provided to you, or have concerns about your bill, then you should inform us immediately so that we can do our best to resolve the problem for you.

We have a procedure in place which details how we handle complaints which is available on request. We have eight weeks to consider your complaint. You must have tried resolving your complaint with us first, but if we are unable to help you then you can have the complaint independently looked at by the Legal Ombudsman.

The Legal Ombudsman investigates problems about poor service from lawyers.

Their time limits for investigating complaints are:

1. Within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint:
   and
2. One year from the date of act/omission; or
3. One year from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.

The act or omission, or when you should have reasonably known there was cause for complaint, must have been after 5 October 2010.

If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman their contact details are as follows:

legalombudsman.org.uk
[email protected]

Legal Ombudsman,

PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH

Call 0300 555 0333 between 8.30am to 5.30pm

Calls to 03 numbers will cost no more than calls to national geographic numbers (starting 01 or 02) from both mobiles and landlines, and will be included as part of any inclusive call minutes or discount schemes in the same way as geographic calls.

If you wish to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, please follow the link below:

In addition to the complaints procedure, all clients must receive the satisfaction form must with the file-closing letter. All clients should be encouraged to complete a survey form.