Complaints Procedure For Clients

Complaints Policy

This information leaflet provides guidance regarding Tayntons complaints policy.

Overview

We are committed to providing a high quality legal service to our clients. If you are unhappy about the service you received then please tell us why. We can see if we are able to resolve any issues. It will also help us to improve our standards.

Complaints procedure

We define a complaint as an expression of concern from a client about the quality of service we have provided them, a challenge to a bill, or other circumstances which in the ordinary meaning of the word gives cause for complaint.

If you are unhappy with the level of service, or the bill, you have received then please discuss this with person dealing with your case.

In the event that this does not resolve matters then please write to us with full details of your concerns. Our client care partner, Andrew Ollerenshaw, has responsibility for dealing with complaints and this policy. You can write to him at 5th Floor, Llanthony Warehouse, The Docks, Gloucester GL1 2EH or you can email him at andrew.ollerenshaw@tayntons.co.uk

A complaint about a barrister we have instructed on your behalf may be made directly to the barrister and, if you are not satisfied with the outcome, to the Legal Ombudsman

What happens next?

Upon receipt of a complaint our client care partner will:

Attempt to speak to you to discuss the matter if further information is required,
Provide you with a copy of our complaints procedure, if requested,
Write to you within 5 working days to acknowledge your complaint and let you know how it will be handled confirming the name of the person dealing with it
Record your complaint in our central register and open a separate file
Investigate your complaint
Provide you with a full reply with a full and honest explanation of our decision within aperiod of 8 weeksoffering any appropriate redress and correcting any unsatisfactory procedures.

Further action

If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your complaint, or the solution, offered you may ask for it to be reviewed by another partner. The reviewing partner would be independent of the matter and confirm their views within a further 5 working days.

Legal Ombudsman

In the event that you are still not satisfied you can ask the Legal Ombudsman to look into the matter. They have time limits for making a complaint o them. Normally you would have to make a complaint to them within 6 months of receiving a final written response from us about your complaint or within 6 years of the act or omission you are complaining about, or 3 years from the date you should reasonably have known there were grounds for complaint (if the act or omission took place before 6th October 2010 or was more than 6 years ago). The Legal Ombudsman deals with complaints from individuals, small businesses, personal representatives and beneficiaries of estates and (subject to some exceptions) trustees, charities, members clubs and associations.

The contact details for the Legal Ombudsman are: The Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH; telephone 0300 555 0333; email enquires@legalombudsman.org.uk. If you are calling from overseas, then, please call +44121 245 3050. For the minicom call 0300 55 1777.

Please note that the Legal Ombudsman may not deal with a complaint about your bill if you have applied to the court for assessment of the bill.

Solicitors Regulation Authority

In certain circumstances, you could also refer the matter to the Solicitors Regulation Authority. This could be for things like misconduct, losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.

For further information please see;

https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/

https://www.sra.org.uk/home/contact-us

or call the SRA on 0307 606 2555 between 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Are there any alternatives

There are alternative complaints bodies which can deal with complaints about legal services where both you and Tayntons agree to use such a scheme.

Details of these bodies can be found at the European Commission’s online dispute resolution website http://ec.europa.eu/odr

However, in our experience, the Legal Ombudsman’s scheme is the most suitable to deal with any complaints about legal services.