Complaints Procedure

Our complaints handling policy

We aim to deal promptly, fairly and effectively with any complaint a client may have about any aspect of our service.

We are committed to providing legal services of the highest standard and part of that commitment involves encouraging you to complain if you feel that we have not met the high standards that we have imposed upon ourselves. Whilst we expect that you will be satisfied with our work, if you feel that you have cause for criticism or complaint in respect of any aspect of the service provided by this firm, to include a complaint about our bill, you are entitled to complain. We would invite you to address your complaint initially, in writing, to Mrs Alex Caplan , (a Director) or by telephone on 0161 521 6866 for immediate consideration so that any appropriate action can be taken without delay. We will deal with your complaint promptly, fairly and free of charge.

We may invite you to attend a meeting to explain the outcome of our investigation in more detail, in an effort to ensure that you receive an adequate summary of the steps taken to resolve any problems.

What happens when we receive you complaint?

On receipt of your complaint we shall automatically invoke the firm’s Complaints Procedure which includes writing to notify you of how the complaint will be handled and within what timescales. We may ask you to provide further details if necessary and we will let you know the name of the person who will be dealing with your complaint. You can expect to receive our letter within one week of us receiving your complaint.

All complaints received are recorded in a central register kept by this firm.

You will be given an initial or substantive response and thereafter we shall conduct an internal investigation handled by a senior member of the firm resulting in a full written response to you in compliance with the firm’s Complaints Procedure. This will include suggestions for resolving the matter and we aim to do this within eight weeks of our acknowledging your complaint.

We emphasise that any such complaint or criticism will be regarded as an opportunity to improve our service both to you and to other clients. However, on concluding our investigations into your complaint, if you remain dissatisfied with the outcome, you have the right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman so long as the complaint is made within 6 months of you receiving our final response to your complaint or up to 1 year from the date of the act/omission giving rise to your complaint or 1 year from when you should have known about the complaint.

You can contact the Legal Ombudsman via their website at www.legalombudsman.org.uk or by e-mail to enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk , in writing to PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH, or by telephone: 0300 555 0333

A copy of the firm’s Complaints Procedure is available upon request from our offices and we shall handle any complaint promptly, fairly and effectively in accordance with the firm’s Complaints Procedure.

Complaints About Your Bill

The above complaints procedure also applies to complaints arising concerning our bill. There may also be a right to object to the bill by applying to the court for an assessment of the bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974 and that if all, or part, of a bill remains unpaid, the firm may be entitled to charge interest.

Raising Concerns With Our Regulator

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) 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 find information about raising your concerns with the SRA at www.sra.org.uk in the ‘For the public’ section.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

In addition to directing a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman (LEO) you will be able to refer your dispute for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). There are three Institutions available to deal with disputes in the legal services sector, namely the Ombudsman Services, ProMediate and Small Claims Mediation.  If required, we will provide contact details for those mediation services.