1. How to Make a Complaint

You can complain to us by email, letter, telephone or in person.

Please contact:

2. What You Can Complain About

You can complain if you are unhappy with any part of our service, including:

• delays;
• poor communication;
• the way your matter has been handled;
• information about costs;
• a bill we have sent you;
• the conduct of a member of our team; or
• any other concern about our service.

You do not need to use legal language. Please just explain what has happened and why you are unhappy.

3. Helpful Information to Include

To help us deal with your complaint, please include:

• your name and contact details;
• your file reference, if you have one;
• the name of the person dealing with your matter;
• what your complaint is about;
• what you would like us to do to put things right; and
• copies of any relevant emails, letters or documents.

If you do not have all of this information, you can still make a complaint.

4. What Happens Next

We will handle your complaint promptly and fairly.

Our usual process is:

1. Acknowledgement We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days of receiving it.
2. Investigation We will review your file and speak to the people involved. We may contact you if we need more information.
3. Response We will aim to send you a written response within 21 days of acknowledging your complaint.
4. Final response If we need more time, we will tell you why and confirm when we expect to respond. In any event, we will aim to provide our final response within 8 weeks of receiving your complaint.

Our response will explain:

• what we have investigated;
• what we have found;
• whether we uphold your complaint, in whole or in part;
• any steps we propose to take; and
• your right to contact the Legal Ombudsman if you remain unhappy.

5. Possible Outcomes

If we find that something has gone wrong, we may offer one or more of the following:

• an apology;
• an explanation;
• correction of an error, where possible;
• a reduction or refund of fees;
• compensation, where appropriate;
• a change to our procedures; or
• another suitable remedy.

The outcome will depend on the circumstances of the complaint.

6. Complaints About Bills

If your complaint is about our bill, you may also have the right to ask the court to assess the bill under the Solicitors Act 1974.

The Legal Ombudsman may not consider a complaint about a bill if you have already applied to the court for assessment of that bill.

7. If You Are Not Satisfied With Our Response

If you are not satisfied with our final response, or if we have not resolved your complaint within 8 weeks, you may be able to complain to the Legal Ombudsman.

The Legal Ombudsman deals with complaints about service provided by lawyers.

The Legal Ombudsman will usually expect you to bring your complaint to it:

• within 6 months of our final written response; and
• no later than 1 year from the date of the act or omission complained about; or
• no later than 1 year from when you should reasonably have realised there was cause for complaint.

The Legal Ombudsman may accept complaints outside these time limits in limited circumstances.

8. Complaints to the Solicitors Regulation Authority

The Legal Ombudsman deals with poor service. The Solicitors Regulation Authority, known as the SRA, deals with professional conduct and regulatory issues.

You may contact the SRA if you are concerned about matters such as:

• dishonesty;
• loss or misuse of client money;
• acting where there is a conflict of interest;
• discrimination;
• serious breaches of professional rules; or
• other serious misconduct.

9. Accessibility and Support

If you need this information in another format, or if you need help making a complaint, please tell us.

We can consider reasonable adjustments, including:

• providing information in a different format;
• allowing extra time for responses;
• communicating with someone authorised to act on your behalf;
• arranging a telephone or video call; or
• using clearer or simpler language.

10. Confidentiality

We will handle your complaint confidentially and in accordance with our data protection obligations.

We may share information internally where necessary to investigate and respond to your complaint. We may also need to share information with our insurers, regulators, the Legal Ombudsman, or others where required by law or professional rules.

11. Our Commitment

We will not charge you for making a complaint.

We keep records of complaints so that we can monitor the quality of our service, identify any recurring issues, and improve the way we work.