COMPLAINTS AND TERMINATION PROCEDURE

OUR COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

A complaint is any expression of client dissatisfaction however it is expressed. If you have a complaint about any aspect of our service or an issue with any bills delivered on your matter, please contact us with the details. It would be helpful if you could deliver a written letter or email to our office setting out the circumstances.

In the event of disputes over billing and amounts due to the firm, please note that we reserve the right to charge interest on any unpaid bill (or part thereof) at a rate equal to Base Rate +4%

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?

  1. We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within three days of us receiving the complaint, enclosing a copy of this procedure.
  2. We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to Penny Raby who will review your matter file.
  3. Penny will then invite you to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. She will do this within 14 days of sending you the acknowledgment letter.
  4. Within three days of the meeting, Penny will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions she has agreed with you.
  5. If you do not want a meeting or it is not possible, Penny will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including her suggestions for resolving the matter, within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgment letter.
  6. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will arrange for another firm of lawyers, Leitch & Co, 16 Merstow Green, Evesham, Worcestershire, WR11 4BD, telephone number 01386 49227 to contact you. We have the arrangement to deal with each other’s complaints if clients prefer. This will be at no extra cost to you.
  7. We will write to you within 14 days of receiving your request for a review with Leitch & Co., confirming our position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.
  8. If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.
  9. If you are still not satisfied, we will offer a meeting with an agreed third party to mediate, which meeting will be recorded.
  10. If you are still dissatisfied with our service, bills rendered, or the outcome of our complaint review, then you should refer to the office of the Legal Ombudsman as below.

Further information and guidance:

LEGAL OMBUDSMAN

The Legal Ombudsman’s Office has formal powers to resolve complaints about lawyers. It is a free service. Their job is to look at legal complaints in a fair and independent way – they will not take sides. As of February 2013, the upper limit for compensation awarded by the Legal Ombudsman is now £50,000. Also, as of this date, the time limit for bringing a complaint is within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint, and is no more than six years from the date of act or omission, or no more than three years from when the complainant should have known of the complaint.

As with any kind of dispute, they recommend it best to complain to Penny Raby & Co first to give us a chance to resolve the issue. If you are still not satisfied or are not sure about what to do, then please get in touch with their office at:

Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6806
Wolverhampton
WV1 9WJ

Further details are available at the website www.legalombudsman.org.uk or by email at enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

SOLICITORS REGULATION AUTHORITY

We work with solicitors, firms, other types of lawyers and non-lawyers to make sure they comply with our Principles, to make sure they behave independently, fairly and with integrity to best serve the interests of their clients and the public interest. We welcome information about dishonesty or breaches of our Principles; however, we are not able to deal with issues of poor service.

We could help you if you think a solicitor might be dishonest or you have concerns about their behaviour. For example, shutting down their law firm without telling you – dishonesty or deliberately overcharging you – taking or losing your money – treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.

Find out how to report a solicitor or firm to the SRA