Our Complaints Policy
We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all our clients. When something goes wrong, we need our clients to tell us about it. This will help improve our standards. Whenever possible, please raise any initial client care problems with the person acting on your case to give them the opportunity to resolve matters with you. Often, matters can be quickly resolved in this way.
If you are unhappy about any aspect of the service you have received, or about the bill, please contact the company on (0191) 4280900 or by post to our office at 10 Grange Road West, Jarrow, Tyne and Wear NE32 3JD. We have a procedure in place which details how we handle complaints as follows:
Our Procedures
1. In the event that you are unhappy with any aspect of your case, we would request that you raise your dissatisfaction in the first instance with the fee earner with conduct of your case. If the fee earner is not able to deal with your complaint or you would prefer not to speak to the fee earner, a complaint can be made in writing, in person or over the telephone to the company’s client care manager, Lynn Williamson. In the event that the complaint relates to a matter dealt with by Mrs Williamson, your complaint will be handled by Andrea Cowley.
2. We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within five days of receiving it, enclosing a copy of this procedure.
We will investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to the Directors, who will review your matter file and, if necessary, speak to the member of staff who acted for you.
3. You will then be invited to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. We will do this within 14 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
4. Within five days of that meeting, we will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions that have been agreed with you.
5. If you do not want a meeting, or it is not possible, you will be sent a detailed written reply to your complaint, including the suggestions for resolving the matter, within 28 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
6. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will consider any further representations that you would wish to make before writing to you within 14 days of receiving your request for a review, and confirming the final position on your complaint and explaining the reasons.
8. If you are still not satisfied with our handling of your complaint you can ask the Legal Ombudsman to consider the complaint. Contact details are as follows:
Address: PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ
Telephone: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Normally, you will need to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman no later than 12 months after you discovered the problem and within 6 months of receiving a final written response from us about your complaint. We would hope that this does not become necessary and that we can resolve matters between ourselves. If this is not the case however, we would be happy to provide you with the necessary information to make such a complaint.
If we have to change any of the above timescales we will let you know and explain why.
The complaints procedure also includes 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 company may be entitled to charge interest.