We are committed to providing a friendly, efficient and high-quality legal service to all our Clients.  When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it.  This will help us to improve our service and, of course, we will do our best to deal with your complaint. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case.

Registering a complaint

1. If you have a complaint in the first instance, please raise this matter with the legal advisor acting for you. If they cannot resolve the matter, it will be referred to their supervisor who will notify our Client Care Partner, Ms Emma Pearmaine.
2. Ms Pearmaine will then send you a letter or email acknowledging receipt of your complaint within 3 working days of receiving it, enclosing a copy of this procedure.

Investigating your complaint

3. We will then investigate your complaint. Ms Pearmaine will review your file and speak to the legal advisor who acted for you.
4. Ms Pearmaine may contact you by telephone to discuss the matter.
5. Ms Pearmaine will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including her suggestions for resolving the matter, within 15 working days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
6. We have 8 weeks to deal with a complaint made by you. If we must change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.
7. You will not be charged for making a complaint.

What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint

Legal Ombudsman

8. The Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves. They will look at your case independently and it will not affect how we handle your case. Legal Ombudsman contact details:

Visit www.legalombudsman.org.uk

Call 0300 555 0333 between 10am to 4pm.

Relay UK: 18001 0300 555 0333

Email enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

Legal Ombudsman PO BOX 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH

9. Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:

• Within six months of receiving our final response to your complaint, and
• No more than one year of the date of the act or omission being complained about, or
• No more than one year from the date when you should reasonably have known that there was cause for complaint.

10. You should send copy documentation to the Legal Ombudsman in support of your complaint.

Advice Dispute Resolution (ADR)

11. We are required to tell you of the name and website of an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) approved body which would be competent to deal with your complaint and whether we agree to use the scheme operated by that body.
12. The Chartered Institute for Trading Standards (CITS) website provides a list of ADR approved bodies who would be competent to deal with your complaint.
13. The ADR Group is an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) company on this list providing ADR services to consumers, which would be competent to deal with your complaint.

Contact details

Address

ADR Group

160 Fleet Street
London, EC4A2DQ
United Kingdom

Contact information

Email address: casemanagement@adrgroup.co.uk
Website: http://www.adrgroup.co.uk
Phone: 020 3600 5050

14. Whilst we are required to tell you about ADR, we do not agree to use the schemes operated by ADR Group or other CITS ADR approved bodies.

What to do if you are unhappy about our behaviour

15. The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help 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.
16. Visit their website to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority, telephone number 0370 606 2555, website www.sra.org.uk

We very much hope that we can address your concerns and achieve a mutually satisfactory outcome.