We are committed to providing a high quality legal service and to dealing with all our clients fairly. We acknowledge that we may not always get it right so if something has gone wrong, including in relation to the bill, we need you to tell us.
How do I make a complaint?
You can contact us in writing (by letter or email) or by speaking with Michael Trott, Suite 1 Charter House Courtlands Road Eastbourne BN22 8UY E: mct@mctsolicitors.co.uk T: 01323 401 401
To help us to understand your complaint, and in order that we do not miss anything, please tell us:
- your full name, address, email address and telephone number
- what you think we didn't get quite right
- how we can put things right, 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 3 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 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 via telephone.
We will update you on the progress of your complaint at appropriate times.
We will write to you at the end of our investigation to inform you of what we have done and what we propose to do to resolve your complaint. We will aim to do this within eight (8) weeks of the date of our letter of acknowledgement.
What if I am not satisfied with the outcome?
If we have not resolved your complaint within eight (8) weeks you can then ask the Legal Ombudsman to consider the complaint within six (6) months of the written response from the firm. The Legal Ombudsman is available at:-
PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ – 0300 555 0333 – from 8.30am to 5.30pm
enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk – www.legalombudsman.org.uk
The time limit to take a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman is within one (1) year starting from the date of the act or omission complained of, or one (1) year from when the nature of the complaint should have been known to you.
You can also raise any concerns about our behaviour with our regulator the Solicitors Regulation Authority at:-
Contact Centre, The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham, B1 1RN
0370 606 2555 contactcentre@sra.org.uk – https://www.sra.org.uk/
The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help you, or take action, if we steal from you, shut down without telling you or break our own rules.
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 Legal Ombudsman service is free of charge.
In addition to the Legal Ombudsman, several other complaints bodies exist which are also able to deal with complaints about legal services – these are: Ombudsman Services https://www.ombudsman-services.org/ ProMediate https://www.promediate.co.uk/ and Small Claims Mediation https://www.gov.uk/guidance/small-claims-mediation-service
