Complaints

COMPLAINTS POLICY

We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all our clients. When something goes wrong, we need our clients to tell us about it. This will help improve our standards. Whenever possible, please raise any initial client care problems with the person acting on your case to give them the opportunity of resolving matters with you. Often, matters can be quickly resolved in this way.
 
If you are unhappy about any aspect of the service you have received, or about the bill, please contact us by post to our office at 9-12 East Parade, Sheffield, S1 2ET, telephone 0114 276 6166 or email the person handling your case. We have a procedure in place which details how we handle complaints as follows:

• If you wish to make a complaint you are requested to make any such complaint, in the first instance, to the Fee Earner Dealing with your matter. The name of whom will be found on the Terms of Business letter originally sent to you. You may also telephone the office to find out the name of the Fee Earner.
• If you are unable to achieve satisfaction of your complaint with the fee earner dealing with your matter you may ask the Head of Department, the name of whom will be found on the Terms of Business letter originally sent to you, to reconsider your complaint. You may also telephone the office to find out the name of the Head of Department.
• The Head of Department will need full details of the complaint in writing. We ask for this to be in writing so that there is no confusion as to what is being investigated and so that you will know that we have not misunderstood or failed to take note of the details of a complaint which you are making.
• The Head of Department will acknowledge your complaint and will investigate it by speaking with the fee earner (and any other person you mention) about the complaint and will thoroughly read the existing file.
• You may expect a full response from the Head of Department as soon as practicable but within 21 days. If for any reason that does not prove to be possible then you will be notified.
• If you are not satisfied with the response of the Head of Department or if your complaint is against a Head of Department then you are entitled to refer the matter to, Sean Bennett who is the Firm’s Complaints Handler. He will deal with the matter procedurally in the same fashion as the Head of Department would have done and again you can expect a response as soon as practicable or within eight weeks.
• You will not be charged for any time which is spent investigating your complaint.

The Legal Ombudsman

If you are still not satisfied with our handling of your complaint you can ask the Legal Ombudsman to consider the complaint. We would hope that this does not become necessary and that we can resolve matters between ourselves.  Contact details are as follows:
 
Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6167
Slough
SL1 0EH
0300 555 0333
enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
www.legalombudsman.org.uk

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The Legal Ombudsman expects complaints to be made to them within one year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned, or within one year of you realising there was a concern. You must also refer your concerns to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response to you.

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Complaints in relation to bills

The procedure above also applies to complaints arising concerning our bill. There may also be a right to object to the bill by applying to the court for an assessment of the bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974; The Legal Ombudsman may not consider a complaint about a bill if you have applied to the Court for assessment of that bill.

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Raising concerns with our regulator

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) can help you if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic. You can find information about raising your concerns with the SRA www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor/