In the first instance it maybe 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 would like to make a formal complaint, then you can read our complaints procedure below:

A complaint is a oral or written expression of dissatisfaction which alleges that the complainant has suffered (or may suffer) financial loss, distress, inconvenience or other detriment.

The Supervising Partner named in the client care letter is ultimately responsible for the service delivered to our client, but it is the fee earner with conduct that the complaints initially sent to. The Complaint will be acknowledged within one week in writing and the fee earner will discuss with the client the cause of the dissatisfaction and the action to be taken. The response to the complaint and the resolution or the outcome will be recorded  on the file. If we can not resolve the matter you can refer the matter to the Legal Ombudsman.

The Legal Ombudsman service has been operational since 6th October 2010 and ultimately responsible for ensuring all complaints are dealt and resolved appropriately. 

However, before you contact the Legal Ombudsman, you must first register a complaint with us. Normally, the Legal Ombudsman expects you to have 8 weeks to try to resolve the matter. If after 8 weeks you are still dissatisfied you can involve the Legal Ombudsman. For more information on how the Legal Ombudsman works please visit the Legal Ombudsman website

Please note that in January 2024 the Legal Ombudsman changed their address. It is now; 

Po Box 6167

Slough

SL1 0EH

 Time Scales

In normal circumstances, you are required to give us 8 weeks to try and resolve your complaint before contacting the Legal Ombudsman. 

A complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must normally be made within six months of receiving our final response to your complaint and no more than one year from the date of the act of omission being complained or no more than one year from the date when you should reasonably have known that there was cause for complaint.

You must register your complaint with us first.

The Legal Ombudsman expects you to give us 8 weeks to try to resolve your complaint

After this time, you can contact the Legal Ombudsman (but you must do so within 6 months)

To register a formal complaint, please write to us and include all the information suggested by the Legal Ombudsman

Please refer to the website which includes some useful checklists and sample letters.

In addition to the Legal Ombudsman, several other complaints bodies exist which are also able to deal with complaints about legal services - these are: Ombudsman Services, ProMediate, Small Claims Mediation and the European Online Dispute Resolution platform. Information about these alternatives can be found at:

 ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/

If you think a solicitor might be dishonest or you have concerns about their ethics or integrity, you also have the right to notify our regulator, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). There are no time limits for making a report but there are limits on what the SRA will consider. Please note that the SRA is not able to deal with issues of poor service (complaints of this nature should instead be referred to the Legal Ombudsman). For further information about the SRA's role, please visit:http://www.sra.org.uk/consumers