Our Complaints: Resolution Protocol & Procedures

Our complaints procedure

The firm is committed to providing a 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 standards.

If you have a complaint, please contact the firm’s Complaints Director, Camilla Rents, with the details.

What happens next?

1. We will send you a letter or email acknowledging your complaint, where necessary asking you to confirm or explain the details.  We will tell you who will be dealing with your complaint and also provide you with the contact details for the Legal Ombudsman.  You can expect to receive our letter within 5 working days of receiving your complaint.
2. We will open a file for your complaint and record it in our central register.  We will do this within 5 working days of receiving your complaint.
3. Camilla Rents will then investigate your complaint, which will normally involve examining your file and (if she did not act for you personally) speaking with the person in the firm who acted for you.  She will endeavour to do this within 10 working days.  If we expect it will take longer, we will advise you of the likely timescale.  If Camilla Rents was acting for you, the investigation will be carried out by one of her co-Directors.
4. We may suggest a meeting or discussion if we believe it will be helpful in resolving your complaint.  Within 5 working days of any meeting or discussion we will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions we have agreed with you.
5. We will send you a detailed response to your complaint, including suggestions for resolving the matter where appropriate.
6. If you are still not satisfied with the firm’s decision at the conclusion of the complaints procedure you may refer the matter to the Legal Ombudsman – PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH; telephone 0300 555 0333; [email protected];www.legalombudsman.org.uk.  There is a time limit for referring the matter to the Legal Ombudsman.  The time limit is 1 year from the date of the act or omission, 1 year from the date when you should have known about the complaint or 6 months from the date of the letter confirming our final decision.
7. 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.Visit their website to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority
8. If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.