Client Complaint Procedure

In the first instance, all concerns and complaints will be dealt with at a department
level by the supervising solicitor who will be named on your letter of instruction.
Only if that does not resolve the issues to your satisfaction will you be referred to our
complaints member, Jennifer Wilson, who is based in our Coventry office at 17a
Queens Road Coventry CV1 3DH.

Our objective
We will deal with any complaint fairly, without prejudice or discrimination and in a
reasonable and proportionate manner.
We aim to resolve complaints within 6 weeks of referral to our complaints member.
Timetable

Once our complaints member receives your complaint, we aim to follow this
timetable:
1. Our complaints member will write or email you within 7 days from the date of
your complaint. We will summarise our understanding of your complaint and
ask you to confirm within 7 days that this is correct.
2. If we require additional information, we will ask for it at this stage.
3. Once all required information is received, we will begin our internal
investigation and aim to report to you within 14 days. If we require further time
to investigate, we will let you know and offer an estimated timescale.
4. If we think that a meeting would be useful in assisting to resolve your
complaint, we will invite you to a meeting at a mutually convenient time and
will report to you within 14 days of that meeting.
5. Our response to your complaint will include:
i. Informing you of the conclusion we have reached;
ii. Giving an explanation as to the reasons for our conclusion;
iii. Offering you an apology if one is appropriate;
iv. Offering redress if we consider that is appropriate.
6. We will invite you to respond to any offer of redress and with any comments
within 14 days.

Legal Ombudsman
If you are not satisfied with our handling of your complaint, you can take up any issue
with the Legal Ombudsman. You must refer your complaint to our complaints
member and wait for the outcome before making any complaint to the Legal
Ombudsman. You can complain to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of the
conclusion of our complaints process. More information can be obtained from the
website www.legalombudsman.org.uk. Their telephone number is 0300 555
0333 and postal address is PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH.
From 1 April 2023, the time limit for referring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman
will be no later than:
i. One year from the alleged act or omission which is subject of
the complaint; or
ii. One year from the date you should reasonably have known
there was cause for complaint.

Other matters
If your complaint is in respect of your bill then you have a right to object to the bill by
applying to the Court for an assessment under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974.
Whilst this complaint procedure is intended to be used in respect of complaints by
clients of the firm there is a limited class of people who are entitled to complain to the
Legal Services Ombudsman about the service we have provided even though they
are not a client. In these circumstances we would intend to deal with such a
complaint fairly and in line with the procedure for client complaints. The complainant
will be advised at the outset however that information we hold is likely to be
confidential to our client and that we cannot answer questions or provide information
without the consent of our client. This may mean that we are not able to respond to
their complaint.
You may also complain to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) if you think we
have breached an SRA principle or have acted with dishonesty or discrimination.
Their telephone number is 0370 606 2555 and postal address is The Cube, 199
Wharfside Street, Birmingham, B1 1RN . The email address is report@sra.org.uk.