Regulatory Information & Complaints Policy
Our detailed policy in relation to complaints is set out below, and can be provided on request.
If something goes wrong we would like to know about it so that we may learn from it and improve our service. We take complaints seriously and will endeavour to resolve them speedily and effectively.
In the first instance please raise your concern informally with the person dealing with your matter. If this doesn’t resolve your concern please contact our Complaints Officer – Chris Mitchell – explaining your complaint and what you would like us to do to resolve matters. We will consider your complaint and respond when we have been able to consider the matter properly.
We will provide a formal response to your complaint within eight weeks. If we have not resolved it to your satisfaction you may complain to the Legal Ombudsman (the LeO). The LeO will not normally take any action until our complaints procedure has been completed.
You shall need to bring a complaint to the LeO within six months of receiving our final written response, or within one year of the act or omission about which you are complaining having occurred, or if outside of this period within one year of when you should reasonably have been aware of it.
The LeO can be contacted as follows: 0300 555 0333; PO Box 6167, Slough SL1 0EH; www.legalombudsman.org.uk.
Under the terms of the LeO scheme, some clients may not have the right to complain to the LeO. These include most businesses (unless defined as ‘micro enterprises’), charities or clubs with an annual income of more than £1,000,000 or trustees of a trust with asset value of more than £1,000,000.
There may also be a right for you to object to your bill by applying to the Court for an assessment under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974.
We are not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) but we are included on the register it maintains so that we can carry on “insurance mediation activity” which is broadly advising on, selling and administering insurance contracts. This part of our business, including arrangements for complaints or redress if something goes wrong, is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (the SRA). The register can be accessed via the FCA website at www.fca.org.uk/register.
The Law Society is a designated professional body for the purposes of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 but responsibility for regulation has been separated from the Law Society’s representative functions. The SRA is the independent regulatory body exercising the regulatory powers of the Law Society.
We have professional indemnity insurance cover meeting the SRA Indemnity Insurance Rules. The name and contact details of our insurer, and the territorial coverage of the policy, can be provided on request.
COMPLAINTS POLICY
Please initially contact the person who is handling your matter so that we can try to put things right.
If you remain dissatisfied, please refer your complaint to the firm’s Complaints Officer, Chris Mitchell, who will commence an investigation. The procedures we will then follow is:
Within seven working days, we will send a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint;
A full review will be undertaken by the Complaints Officer;
In most instances an invitation will be sent to you to attend a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve the complaint. This will be followed up with a letter within three days confirming what took place and any solution agreed with you;
If you do not wish to (or are unable to) attend a meeting, a formal written response will be sent within eight weeks of receipt of your complaint, along with suggestions as to how we might resolve it.
Any dissatisfaction with the amount of the fee we have charged must be raised with us in writing within three months of the date of the bill.
If we have not been able to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, then you can have the complaint independently looked at by the Legal Ombudsman or the Solicitors Regulation Authority. If you wish to refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman this should be done within six months of our final response to your complaint.
To contact the Legal Ombudsman you can telephone 0300 555 0333, or write to PO Box 6167, Slough SL1 0EH. Alternatively, you can find more information by visiting www.legalombudsman.org.uk.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority deal with matters where their Principles have been breached by firms that they regulate. If the matter relates to poor service provided by a solicitor this should be referred to the Legal Ombudsman. Upon receipt of your complaint the Solicitors Regulation Authority aim to acknowledge the same within ten to fifteen working days.
To contact the Solicitors Regulation Authority you can telephone 0370 606 2555, email contactcentre@sra.org.uk, or write to The Cube 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham B1 1RN. Alternatively, you can find more information by visiting www.sra.org.uk.
There may also be a right for you to object to your bill by applying to the court for an assessment under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974.
We would normally expect to conclude our investigations and all stages of our complaints handling procedures within eight weeks. If we need to extend the timescale we will let you know and explain why.
WHO TO CONTACT: Please write to Chris Mitchell, Complaints Officer at: Turn Law, Shift Works, Royal House, 14 Upper Northgate Street, Chester CH1 4EE. Alternatively you may email him at his usual email address (as set out in the Client Engagement Letter).