OUR COMMITMENT

We are committed to providing a high quality legal service to all clients. If you feel we have not provided the quality of service you expected, please let us know and we will carry out an immediate and thorough review. In dealing with your complaint we will:

• carry out a thorough investigation of what has happened

• seek to resolve or remedy the situation to your full satisfaction

• keep you fully updated on progress until your complaint is resolved

• continually aim to improve our standards of service by listening to your views

OUR COMPLAINTS PROCESS

Should you contact us to make a complaint we will take the following action:

On receipt of your complaint, our clerk will pass the details to Mr William Parkinson, who has overall responsibility for all complaints.

Mr Parkinson will commence an investigation by reviewing your matter and speaking to all relevant persons. He will also record the details of your complaint. Within three working days we will send you a written acknowledgment of your complaint.

If your complaint alleges that we have done something wrong or omitted to do something on your behalf, then we are duty bound to report the matter to our insurers (known as professional indemnity insurers) for guidance. In that case we may have to advise you to seek independent legal advice from another legal representative as there could be a conflict of interest between us.

However if your complaint is about the level of service provided, then Mr William Parkinson will respond to you with as much detail as possible within 14 days. At that point, if you feel that the matter has not been resolved then we will invite you to a meeting to discuss and, hopefully, resolve your complaint. We would hope to be in a position to meet with you in this way within 14 days.

If, at this stage, it is not possible to resolve the matter to your satisfaction, then we will ask that you contact us again and alternative options discussed with you. These would normally include making arrangements for another Barrister or Solicitor, or other senior person (i.e. a manager) to review the situation. This would be a person who is unconnected to your matter and who has not been involved in your complaint. You might also be invited to consider independent mediation - this could involve asking another Barristers Chambers or local firm of Solicitors to fully review your complaint. Dependent upon the complexity of your complaint this process could take between 7 to 28 days, we will keep you informed as matters progress.

Following the independent review or independent mediation, we will write to you within 14 days confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons. If, at this stage, it is still not possible to resolve the matter to your satisfaction you have the right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman, the contact details are below:-

PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV19WJ

The Time Limits For The Legal Ombudsman Accepting A Complaint Are: -

• six years from the date of act/omission, or

• three years from when the complainant should have known about the complaint

The Legal Ombudsman will expect you to have given your lawyer a chance to resolve your complaint before it will get involved. Normally you will need to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within 6 months of receiving a final written response from us about your complaint.

For further information, you should contact the Legal Ombudsman on 0300 555 0333 or at enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk.

To access decision data on the Legal ombudsman's website please click here.

If we have to change any of the responsibilities or the timescales set out above, we will write to you explaining the changes.

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

We want you give you the best possible service. However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service, we have provided then you should inform us immediately so that we can do our best to resolve the problem.

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 would like to make a formal complaint, then you can read our Complaints Policy. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case.

The Bar Standards Board can help you if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for things like dishonesty, taking our losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic. For detailed information go to www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

You can raise your concerns with the Bar Council at contactus@barstandardsboard.org.uk

What To Do if we cannot Resolve your Complaint

The Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves, they will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case.

Before accepting a complaint for investigation the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first.

If you have then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:

Within 6 months of receiving a final response to your complaint; and No more than 6 years after the date of act/omission; or No more than 3 years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint

If you would like some more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them at www.legalombudsman.org.uk- Or

Telephone number 0300 555 0333 between 9:00am and 5:00pm Or Email - enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk Or

Postal address Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806. Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ