Client complaints policy

Our complaints policy

Chiltern Legal Limited is committed to providing a high quality legal service to all our clients. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to improve our standards. Whenever possible, please raise any initial client care problems with the person acting on your matter to give them the opportunity of resolving matters with you. Often matters can be quickly resolved in this way.

Our complaints procedure

If you have a concern or a complaint that has not been dealt with to your satisfaction by the person handling your case or their supervising partner, please contact us as soon as you are aware of the problem so this can be addressed.

What will happen next?

1. We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within five days of our receiving the complaint, enclosing a copy of this procedure.
2. We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to our client care director, Debra Cooper, who will review your matter file and speak to the member of staff (if applicable) who acted for you.
3. Debra Cooper will then invite you to a meeting to discuss and, it is hoped, resolve your complaint. She will do this within 14 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
4. Within three days of the meeting, Debra Cooper 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, Debra Cooper will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including her suggestions for resolving the matter, within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
6. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again to explain why you remain unhappy with our response and we will review your comments.
7. We will write to you within 14 days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.
8. 8. If you are still not satisfied with our handling of your complaint, you can ask either The Solicitors Regulation Authority (Tel: 0270 606 2555) or email contactcentre@sra.org.uk to consider your complaint or take your case to the Legal Ombudsman (LeO). We hope that this does not become necessary and that we can resolve matters between ourselves. The LeO deals with all aspects of poor service, such as delayed or unclear communication, problems with your fees, or loss of documents.

The contact details for the Legal Ombudsman are as follows:

Address: Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
Telephone: 0300 555 0333 -from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm
E-mail: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/how-to-complain/

A complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must be made:

• within six months of receiving a final written response from us about your complaint and
• no more than one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about; or
• no more than one year from the date when you should reasonably have known that there was cause for complaint.

The firm strictly adheres to the Solicitors Code of Conduct as set out by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and a copy of the current rules can be found at http://www.sra.org.uk/rules.

Complaints in relation to bills

The complaints 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.

If you believe that we have breached the principles imposed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, you may complain to them using a Report Form, available from www.sra.org.uk, and sending it to Solicitors Regulation Authority, The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham B1 1RN.