Complaints Procedure
If you are dissatisfied with the service we have provided then you have the right to complain. The Legal Ombudsman service has been operational since 6 October 2010 and is ultimately responsible for ensuring that complaints are handled appropriately.
However, before you contact the Legal Ombudsman you must first register an official complaint with us. Normally, the Legal Ombudsman expects you to give us 8 weeks to try to resolve the matter. If after 8 weeks you are still dissatisfied you can involve the Legal Ombudsman. For more information on how the Legal Ombudsman works please visit the Legal Ombudsman website.
Timescales
In normal circumstances you are required to register a complaint within one year. You must then give us 8 weeks to try to resolve your complaint before contacting the Legal Ombudsman. The Legal Ombudsman expects complaints to be made to them within one year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned or within one year of you realising there was a concern. You must also refer your concerns to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response to you. In summary:
You must register your complaint with us within one year
The Legal Ombudsman expects you to give us 8 weeks to try to resolve your complaint
After this time, you can contact the Legal Ombudsman (but you must do so within 6 months)
Getting Started
To register a formal complaint, please write to us and include all the information suggested by the Legal Ombudsman – their website includes some useful resources.
In addition to the Legal Ombudsman, several other complaints bodies exist which are also able to deal with complaints about legal services – these are:
www.gov.uk/guidance/small-claims-mediation-service
You may also choose to make a report to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). This could be if you are concerned about our professional behaviour or conduct, such as for things like dishonesty, deliberately overcharging you, or treating you unfairly because of a characteristic such as your age, sex or disability.
If in need of the Legal Ombudsman details:
Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
0300 555 0333
https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/
enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
If you have any queries about the above information, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will undergo another complaints review to review your progress in due course.
If we enter into a contract with you and/or you become a client of our firm by electronic means (such as by e-mail or online) then, in addition to any rights of redress you may have through the Legal Ombudsman, you may be entitled to use an EU online dispute resolution platform to assist with any complaint or dispute you may have about our services. This online platform can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/odr. We do have an e-mail address you may contact in this regard and that is [info@charlespaulin.com].