- Our aim is to give you good service at all times. However, if you have a complaint you are invited to let us know as soon as possible. It is not necessary to involve solicitors in order to make your complaint, but you are free to do so should you wish.
- Please note that we will only consider complaints that are raised within 12 months of the act or omission complained of.
Complaints Made by Telephone
- You may wish to make a complaint in writing and, if so, please follow the procedure in paragraph 6 below. However, if you would rather speak on the telephone about your complaint then please telephone us. We will make a note of the details of your complaint and what you would like done about it. we will discuss your concerns with you and aim to resolve them. If the matter is resolved he will record the outcome, check that you are satisfied with the outcome and record that you are satisfied. You may also wish to record the outcome of the telephone discussion in writing.
- If your complaint is not resolved on the telephone you will be invited to write to us about it within the next 14 days so it can be investigated formally.
Complaints made in Writing
- Please give the following details:
- Your name and address;
- The detail of the complaint; and
- What you would like done about it.
We will do our utmost to deal with the matter expeditiously.
- We will reply to your complaint within 14 days. If we subsequently find that we are not going to be able to reply within 14 days we will set a new date for a reply and inform you. Our reply will set out:
- The nature and scope of the investigation;
- The conclusion on each complaint and the basis for his conclusion; and
- If we find that you are justified in your complaint, proposals for resolving the complaint.
The Legal Ombudsman has set a period of 8 weeks within which a legal services provider should respond to a complaint. This is the date by which we will get a final response to you.
Confidentiality
- All conversations and documents relating to the complaint will be treated as confidential and will be disclosed only to the extent that is necessary. Disclosure will be limited to anyone involved in the complaint and its investigation.
Our Policy
- As part of our commitment to client care, we make a written record of any complaint and retain all documents and correspondence generated by the complaint.
Complaints to the Legal Ombudsman or the Bar Standards Board
- We hope that you will use our procedure. However, if you would rather not do so or are unhappy with the outcome you may take up your complaint with other bodies designated to hear complaints against barristers or lawyers. These are the Legal Ombudsman (who deals with complaints from clients of barristers about the services provided by barristers) and the Bar Standards Board (which deals with complaints about professional misconduct and disciplinary matters). The Legal Ombudsman acts as a single point of contact for all such complaints, and will ensure that any complaints that relate to professional misconduct are referred to the Bar Standards Board to deal with.
- Complaints must be referred to the Legal Ombudsman within the time limits set out in the Legal Ombudsman Scheme Rules, which ordinarily means no later than six years from the act/omission about which complaint is made; or three years from when the complainant should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.
- The contact details for the Legal Ombudsman and the Bar Standards Board are as follows:
Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
Tel: 0300 555 0333 / E-mail: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Complaints Team, Bar Standards Board, 289-293 High Holborn, London, WC1V 7HZ
Tel: 020 7611 1444 / Fax: 020 7831 9217 See also www.barstandardsboard.org.uk