Prestige Solicitors
The firm has a formal procedure for dealing with complaints from clients. This information is generally notified in the Client Care Letter you will have received at the commencement of your instructions to the firm.
A complaint can be identified by the firm in one of two ways:
(1) When a client feels it necessary to speak to a partner about the conduct of his case by a particular member of staff or about the service the client has received.
(2) When a partner, supervising the opening of incoming mail, identifies a potential complaint which has been made in writing.
Any complaint will be handled by a partner, whether received by telephone, personal visit, in writing or through another solicitor, in accordance with the procedure detailed below.
1. The partner, who will have overall supervisory responsibility for your particular matter, as set out in your Client Care Letter, will obtain full details of the nature of the complaint and deal courteously and sympathetically with you.
2. Wherever possible, you will be asked to put your complaint in writing and your letter will immediately be acknowledged.
3. The partner concerned will, in the first instance, speak to the member of staff involved and read the file to assess the validity or otherwise of the complaint.
4. Where it is felt that the complaint is not justified, the partner will speak to you in an attempt to settle the matter amicably and, failing resolution, you will normally be advised to seek independent legal advice.
5. Where the complaint is considered to be justified, one or more of the following actions will be recommended to you:
(1) That the member of staff has rectified the cause of complaint and, with your consent, will continue to act for you
(2) That, at your discretion, the matter is transferred to another member of staff or partner
(3) If you remain dissatisfied, you will be advised to seek advice from another firm of solicitors
(4) If negligence is identified, you will be advised that the firm is unable to continue to act for you and that you must consult another firm of solicitors
6. Every complaint will be formally recorded by the partner concerned and all correspondence and other documentation will be filed with the record.
7. All actions will be confirmed to you in writing.
8. In the event that you unhappy with the outcome of your complaint you can refer the matter to the Legal Ombudsman whose address is;
PO Box 6806
Wolverhampton
WV1 9WJ
Tel: 0300 555 033 Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Please note that there are time limits for which a complaint can be made to the Legal Ombudsman which are as follows;
From 1 April 2023, the time limits for referring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman will be not later than:
· one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about; or
· one year from the date when the complainant should have realised that there was cause for complaint.
The Legal Ombudsman will retain the ability to exercise discretion to extend the 1 year time limit for specific customers if, on the evidence, it was fair and reasonable to do so.
9. If you are still unsatisfied with the response from the Legal Ombudsman then the complaint can be directed to the regulator the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and the SRA contact details are as follows;
The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street Birmingham B1 1RN
Tel: 0370 606 2555 Website : http://www.sra.org.uk
The firm recognises that a failure to deal effectively with any complaint could result in the loss of your work and in the lowering of the firm’s reputation. Every effort will therefore be made to deal with your complaint to your satisfaction.