Bishop & Sewell

Complaints Policy & Procedure

Policy

Bishop & Sewell LLP are committed to provide a fast, friendly and efficient service to all our clients. If something is not proceeding as it should, we need you to tell us about it.

Procedure

If you have a problem, the first thing to do is to discuss it with the fee earner dealing with your matter.

If you feel unable to discuss your problem with the fee earner or you feel that he/she has not properly addressed your problem, then we would ask you to put your problem in writing to that person with a copy to the Complaints Manager.

On receipt of your letter, we will write to you acknowledging your complaint and informing you as to who at this firm will be dealing with you on this matter.

On receipt of your letter, the person designated to deal with this matter will review the file with the fee earner having day to day control. We may also contact you for further details. Having investigated your problem, we will endeavour to find a solution and will inform you of our proposed solution. We aim to do this within 7 working days of receipt of your letter, but in a complicated matter this may take up to 21 working days.

In the event there is no simple solution we may ask you to come to meet us or speak to us on the telephone to discuss the matter and hopefully resolve your complaint. If, having received our letter with a proposed solution, you are still dissatisfied please contact the writer of that letter with a view to setting up such a meeting.

If you are unhappy following the meeting and/or receipt of the letter proposing a solution and you do not want a meeting, then you should write to us again, in this case addressing the letter to the Complaints Manager. We will aim to acknowledge your letter within 2 working days’ of receipt and a further internal investigation will take place. We will aim to let you know the result of this investigation within 7 working days of its completion and will write to you with our final view on your complaint giving our reasons.

Solicitors Regulation Authority

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help you 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.

You can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority by visiting their website at www.sra.org.uk, by writing to them at: Solicitors Regulation Authority, The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham, B1 1RN or by telephone on 0370 606 2555 (inside the UK) or from overseas on +44 (0)121 329 6800.

Legal Ombudsman

If we fail to respond to your complaint within 8 weeks or if at the conclusion of our complaints process we are unable to resolve matters to your satisfaction you may have a right to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman. If you wish to do so, you must contact the Legal Ombudsman within 6 months of your last contact with us. Additionally, you must raise your complaint with the Legal Ombudsman no more than 1 year of the relevant act, or omission, or no more than 1 year from the date when you realised there was a cause for complaint. Please note that the Legal Ombudsman may not deal with a complaint about a bill if you have applied to court for assessment of that bill.

You can contact the Legal Ombudsman to make a complaint or to check whether you are eligible to use the service by calling 0300 555 0333 (or +44 121 245 3050 if you are calling from overseas), emailing enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk or writing to Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ. Further information can be found at www.legalombudsman.org.uk.

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