Complaints Procedure

We are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). We are committed to high quality legal advice and client care and aim to offer all our clients an efficient and effective service. However, if our clients would like to discuss how the service to them could be improved, the level of their bill, or should there be any aspect of our service with which they are not satisfied, we ask them to follow our Complaints Handing Procedure. We will endeavour to handle your complaint within 8 weeks. In order to ensure that any complaint is dealt with fairly and promptly, we have appointed an external solicitor to independently review any general complaints and act as our general Complaints Handling Representative. Our general Complaints Handling Representative is: Daniel Berke of 3D Solicitors Ltd., The Belmont, Middleton Rd, Crumpsall, Manchester M8 4JY.If your complaint relates to how we have handled your Data then these will be dealt with by Bernard Seymour at Regulatory Solutions, although we do request you notify us first and we will forward your concerns on to him if we have not managed to resolve those concerns to your satisfaction.

Our general Complaints Handling Procedure is as follows:

Step One:

If they have not already done so, we ask our clients to let us know the full nature of the problem.

Step Two:

Our Complaints Handling Representative will write to the client acknowledging their complaint within five working days. In this letter, we shall confirm what happens next.

Step Three:

Our complaints Handling Representative shall then investigate the matter by reviewing the matter file and speaking to the member of staff concerned within ten working days of acknowledging receipt of the complaint. If, for some reason, the matter cannot be investigated in this timeframe, then we will write to the client notifying them of this together with the reason why and giving a revised timescale.

Once the investigation has been completed, our Complaints Handling Representative shall invite the client to a meeting to discuss the issue(s) they have raised and hopefully resolve the complaint. This could be a meeting, video conference call or telephone call and the client’s preference will be taken into account along as well as how best the matter may be dealt with. This process of engagement will take place within ten working days of our concluding the investigation of the matter. Following the meeting or call, our Complaints Handling Representative shall write to the client within five working days of the meeting or call to confirm the discussion and the solution agreed upon.

If the client does not want to or is unable to attend such a meeting or engage in a discussion (or the meeting or call is not necessary), we will be happy to send the client a detailed, written response, including the proposed solution, within fifteen working days of our concluding the investigation of the matter.

Step Four:

If the client is satisfied with our response following the above steps, that will be the end of the matter. However, if the client is not satisfied, they will have 12 months from the date of our written response to pursue other avenues for their compliant.

For data protection complaints we will:

We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 30 days and will endeavour to do so within 7 days of receipt. If you have not already done so we will ask you to set out your concerns in full
Where necessary we will request proof of your identity and / or authority to make the complaint if it is made on behalf of someone else. We will provide you with a copy of our privacy notice if you have not already seen it. It is also available on our website.
Where appropriate we may arrange a discussion with you to obtain further information and/or to agree how to resolve your concerns without further delay.
If we have not managed to resolve your concerns then we will ask that Bernard Seymour investigate your concerns in full and he will confirm the outcome of his investigation to you. He will also explain any steps taken to resolve your complaint and any actions taken as a result.

Other Avenues

Clients must always try communicating their complaint to us first. In most cases they will not be able to take their complaint further without allowing us the opportunity to put things right.

Legal Ombudsman

We are permitted a period of eight weeks to consider the complaint. If for any reason we are unable to resolve the problem between us within that timeframe, then our clients are advised that they may ask the Legal Ombudsman to consider the complaint.

Clients are free to refer any complaint about our work, fees or level of service but there are some conditions and time limits. Please be aware that any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within six months of the client having received a final written response from us about their complaint. Complaints to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within one year of the act or omission about which the client is complaining occurring or from when the client should have known about or become aware that there were grounds for complaint.

For further information, please contact the Legal Ombudsman on 0300 555 0333 or visit www.legalombudsman.org.uk. The Legal Ombudsman may be contacted at PO Box 6167, Slough SL1 0EH.

Solicitors Regulation Authority

If someone thinks a solicitor might be dishonest or you have concerns about their ethics or integrity, they 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 contact the SRA or visit: https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor.page#report.

Data Protection complaints

If your complaint relates to how your personal data has been used/ handled which we have not been able to address to your satisfaction pursuant to this policy, you may be able to make a complaint to the Information Commission (IC) directly. You can learn more about the IC and personal data rights at: www.ico.org.uk and specifically about complaints in relation to the use of your personal data at: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/data-protection-complaints/.

Further Information