All Client Complaint Forms are forwarded to the Complaints Manager.
The Complaints Manager will open a separate file for the complaint and record the details in the Firm’s Complaint Management Form. This form will be kept at the front of the file. This must be done by the end of the day following receipt of the Client Complaint Form.
The Complaints Manager will then investigate the complaint, by asking the relevant members of staff to reply to the complaint or provide further details.
If necessary, the Complaints Manager will meet with the relevant members of staff to discuss the situation. The Complaints Manager will acknowledge the complaint within five working days from the date of receipt of the Client Complaint Form and will invite the complainant to a meeting to discuss the complaint and attempt to resolve it.
In any case the Firm will send a response to the complainant within eight weeks from the date of the complaint.
If the complainant is not able or does not want to attend a meeting, the Complaints Manager will explain in writing, and if possible also by telephone, the outcome of their investigations and a suggestion for resolving the complaint.
If a meeting is held, the Complaints Manager will write to the complainant within two working days of the meeting, confirming the discussions that took place and any solutions that have been agreed.
A letter sent to the complainant at this stage will contain details of what to do if the complainant is still unhappy. The complainant will be asked to write a ‘secondary complaint letter’ to the firm explaining why they are unhappy with the conclusion.
The firm will then arrange for a review of the Complaints Manager’s decision. This will happen in one of the following ways:
Another Principal or senior member of staff will review the complaint, and if necessary, re- investigate the details of the complaint.
The local Law Society or another firm of solicitors will be asked to review the complaint. The Complaints Manager will ask the complainant to agree to independent mediation.
The Complaints Manager will write to the complainant within five working days of the conclusion of the review, detailing the outcome of the review, and what the firm’s final position is with regards to the complaint. This letter will contain details of the Legal Ombudsman, who should be contacted if the complainant is still not satisfied.
These details are:
Phone: 0300 555 0333 (Calls to the Legal Ombudsman cost the same as a normal 01 or 02 landline number, even from a mobile phone, and are recorded for training and monitoring purposes).
If you are calling from overseas, please telephone +44 121 245 3050.
Email at enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Address is PO BOX 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ.