Complaints Procedure

We want to give you the best possible service. However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service we have provided then please tell us immediately, so that we can do our best to resolve the problem.

Our complaints procedure

In the first instance it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your case to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues at this stage. If you remain unsatisfied, please contact Peter Osahon, who is the firm’s Client Care Partner. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case.

What will happen next?

• We will send you a letter acknowledging your complaint, where necessary asking you to confirm or explain the details. You can expect to receive our letter within 2 working days of the firm receiving your complaint.
  
  
• We will open a file for your complaint on our system and record it in our central register. The Client Care Partner will then investigate your complaint, which will normally involve examining your file and (if he did not act for you personally) speaking with the person in the firm who acted for you. He will do this within 7 working days.
  
  
• We might then invite you to a meeting or write to you to ask for further information.
  
  
• Alternatively, we might write to you setting out our views on the situation and proposing any redress that would seem to be appropriate. We will aim to write to you with our views and any suggestions within 10 days of completing our investigations.
  
  
• If by this stage you are still not satisfied, please let us know. It would be helpful to us if you could do so within 21 days, but there is no obligation on you to do so. We will then arrange for another Partner in the firm to review the Client Care Partner’s decision in the light of any comments you make. We would aim to do this within 10 days of hearing from you.
  
  
• We will then write to you to inform you of our final position on your complaint and will explain our reasons.

Further steps

If you are not satisfied with the Partners’ decision at the conclusion of the firm’s complaints procedure, there are other options open to you:

The Legal Ombudsman

If at the conclusion of our complaints process we are unable to resolve matters to your satisfaction, you may refer the matter to the Legal Ombudsman. They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case.

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 6 months of receiving a final response to your complaint, and
  
  
• No more than 1year from the date of act/omission; or
  
  
• No more than 1 year from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.

If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them.

• Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
• Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9am to 5pm
• Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
• By post to: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough SL1 0EH

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)

Our regulator, the SRA can also 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 raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority 

Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention.  We will do our best to address any dissatisfaction that you have experienced in using the services of this practice. Our primary objective is to put things right.