Complaints

My firm is committed to providing a high quality service and being transparent about charges.

If you have a complaint about my firm’s services or invoices, then please contact Mark Robinson. This will give me an opportunity to resolve your complaint. If your matter is ongoing, my firm will not treat you or your matter negatively because of your complaint.

I will send you an acknowledgement of your complaint within 5 days. The acknowledgement will contain:

  • a summary of your complaint;

  • a request for additional information (where necessary to  understand your complaint);

  • details of the process by which I will consider your complaint;

  • the date by which you will receive my substantive response to your complaint; and

  • a copy of this complaints procedure.

My substantive response will be provided by the date specified in my initial acknowledgement, and it will contain:

  • a summary of your complaint;

  • details of the steps I have taken to consider your complaint;

  • the conclusions from my consideration of your complaint;

  • my proposed steps for resolving your complaint;

  • an invitation to meet with me in order to discuss the initial outcome of the complaints process.

Within 7 days of discussing my substantive response with you (or, if you do not wish to have a discussion, then within 7 days of receiving your written response), I will send you my summary of the final outcome of your complaint.

What will happen next?

Legal Ombudsman

If you are a member of the public, a small business, a charity, a club or a trust, then you can refer any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman. The Legal Ombudsman is an independent body with formal powers to investigate and resolve complaints about solicitors.

You will normally need to refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within 1 year of the date of the act or omission that is the subject of your complaint or the date when your realised you had a concern. In addition, your complaint will normally need to be raised with the Legal Ombudsman within 6 months of your receipt of my summary of the final outcome of your complaint.

I will remind you of these deadlines with my summary of the final outcome of your complaint.

The contact details for the Legal Ombudsman are:

Address: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ

Telephone: 0300 555 0333          

Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk          

Solicitors Regulation Authority

If your complaint is about my firm’s behaviour (so things like dishonesty, or treating you unfairly because of your age, gender, disability, ethnic background or other characteristic), then you can raise your complaint with the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The Solicitors Regulation Authority is the independent body responsible for regulating my firm.

The contact details for the Solicitors Regulation Authority are:

Address: Solicitors Regulation Authority, The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham B1 1RN

Telephone: 0370 606 255

Email: report@sra.org.uk

Website: https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/consumers.page

Court Assessment

If your complaint concerns an invoice, then you can apply to the court for an assessment of the amount charged (under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974).

What happens if I’m still not satisfied?

  1. If I have requested additional information in order to understand your complaint, then the time for providing my substantive response will start when I receive that additional information.

  2. If you wish to use the Legal Ombudsman but are uncertain as to whether you qualify for its scheme, then you should ask the Legal Ombudsman to confirm this for you.

  3. This complaints procedure applies whether your complaint is made in writing or verbally.

  4. My firm will not charge you for dealing with your complaint.

  5. If my firm needs to change any of the deadlines in this complaints procedure, then I will let you know immediately and explain the reason for the change.

General Points