Complaints Policy
Complaints policy for clients and third parties
Introduction
We are 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. If at any point you become unhappy with the service we provide to you or you have concerns about your bill, then you should inform us immediately so that we can do our best to resolve the problem for you.
Emma Gaudern, the managing director and complaints manager overseas our complaints process.
How do I make a complaint?
In the first instance it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your case to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues at this stage.
If you remain unsatisfied with our response, or if you wish to refer your complaint to the complaints manager, please email the complaints administrator: [email protected] who will pass your complaint to the complaints manager.
To help us to understand your complaint, and in order that we do not miss anything, please tell us:
- your full name and contact detail
- what you think we have got wrong
- what you hope to achieve as a result of your complaint, and
- your file reference number (if you have it)
If you require any help in making your complaint we will try to help you.
How will you deal with my complaint?
We will record your complaint centrally.
We will write to you within three working days acknowledging your complaint, enclosing a copy of this policy.
We will investigate your complaint. This will usually involve:
- reviewing your complaint
- reviewing your file(s) and other relevant documents, and
- speaking with the person who dealt with your matter
We may also need to ask you for further information or documents. If so, we will ask you to provide the information within a specific period of time
We will update you on the progress of your complaint at appropriate times.
We may also, if appropriate, invite you to a meeting to discuss your complaint. You do not have to attend if you do not wish to or if you are unable to. We will be happy to discuss the matter with you on the telephone.
We will write to you at the end of our investigation to tell you what we have done and what we propose to do to resolve your complaint. Where possible, we will aim to do this within 21 days of the date of our letter of acknowledgement.
All personal information you provide will be collected, processed and stored in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), please refer to our Privacy Notice for further information which can be provided upon request. A link to this policy can also be found on our website www.emgsolicitors.com.
What if I am not satisfied with the outcome?
If you are unhappy with the outcome of our complaints handling procedure please first let us know and we will review the matter.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority 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 raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority by telephoning: 0370 606 2555; in writing: The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham, B1 1RN, DX 720293 BIRMINGHAM 47; visit: www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor; or email: [email protected]
If we are unable to resolve your complaint within eight weeks after you have brought it to our attention, then you can have the complaint independently looked at by the Legal Ombudsman.
The Legal Ombudsman can investigate complaints up to six years from the date of the problem happening or within three years of when you found out about the problem. If you wish to refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman this must be done within six months of our final response to your complaint. The contact details for the Legal Ombudsman are: telephone 0300 555 0333 between 8.30am to 5.30pm; in writing: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ.
However, please note that from 1 April 2023 these time limits are changing. From the 1 April the Legal Ombudsman expects complaints to be made to them within a year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned or within a year of you realising there was a concern. The requirement to refer your concerns to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response to you remains the same.
What will it cost?
We will not charge you for handling your complaint.
Please note that if we have issued a bill for work done on the matter, and all or some of the bill is not paid, we may be entitled to charge interest on the amount outstanding.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority and Legal Ombudsman service is free of charge.
This complaints policy was last updated on 28th Feb 2023.