This Complaints Procedure is for the Clients of Hall & Birtles Solicitors.

We want to give you the best possible service. Should you experience dissatisfaction with the service or become dissatisfied with a bill you receive from Hall & Birtles and wish to make a formal complaint, please follow our Complaints Procedure set out below and we will do our very best to resolve the matter promptly and fairly to your satisfaction:

Stage 1: In the first instance it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your matter to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues. If you would like to make a formal complaint, then you can read our full complaints procedure here. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your matter.

Stage 2: If after completion of our procedure you do not feel the matter has been resolved to your satisfaction, you can refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman. 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, you may then take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman: –

• Within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint

and

• No more than six years from the date of act/omission; or
• No more than three years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.

If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them.

Contact details

Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9.00 to 17.00.

Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ

What to do if you are unhappy with our behaviour

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help 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.

Visit their website to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Our complaints policy

Hall & Birtles Solicitors is 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.

Our Complaints Procedure

If you have a concern or a complaint, please contact us as soon as you are aware of the problem so this can be addressed.

What will happen next?

1. We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within five working days of our receiving the complaint, enclosing a copy of this procedure.
2. We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to our client care Solicitor, Mrs Debby Parish, who will review your matter file and speak to the member of staff who acted for you.
3. Mrs Debby Parish will then invite you to a meeting to discuss and, it is hoped, resolve your complaint. She will do this within 14 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
4. Within three days of the meeting, Mrs Debby Parish will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions she has agreed with you.
5. If you do not want a meeting or it is not possible, Mrs Debby Parish will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including his suggestions for resolving the matter, within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
6. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again to explain why you remain unhappy with our response and we will review your comments. Depending on the matter we may at this stage arrange for another Director to review the decision.
7. We will write to you within 14 days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.
8. If you are still not satisfied, you can then contact the Legal Ombudsman at PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ or call 0300 555 0333 about your complaint. Any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within six months of your receiving a final written response from us regarding your complaint. The Legal Ombudsman has provided further guidance on its service at www.legalombudsman.org.uk.

If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.