The Legal Ombudsman service has been operational since October 6th 2010 and is ultimately responsible for ensuring that complaints are dealt with appropriately. However, before you contact the Legal Ombudsman you must first register and official complaint with us - please see our Complaints Procedure guidance below.
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 then 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. A complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must be normally be made within six months of the date of the conclusion of the Firm's complaints procedure.
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 contact the Legal Ombudsman (but you must do so within 6 months)
Getting Started
To register a formal complaint, please use the form on our Contact page
You can also start your complaint by writing to us but in that case please title your letter “Formal Complaint”.
Complaints can be identified through incoming mail or e-mails.
Examples of complaints could be:
• Dissatisfaction with the handling of a case
• Disappointment with lack of communication to the client
• Frustration with the perceived lack of progress of the case
• Displeasure with the outcome of the case.
However, issues of a very minor nature, for example, not returning a non-urgent telephone call until the following day will not be recorded as a complaint.
It is the policy of the firm to ensure that:
• Every complaint made by a client is reported and recorded centrally
• Every complaint received is responded to appropriately
• The cause of a problem is identified, appropriate redress is offered, and unsatisfactory procedures are corrected.
All clients are informed in writing of the action they should take if they feel they have grounds for complaint. This letter states:
• Who the client should contact in the first instance of a problem
• Who the client should contact if the problem is not resolved.
All complaints are notified to Shena Franklin in the first instance:
• Review the matter with the adviser
• Determine what degree of validity the complaint has
• Decide how the complaint should be remedied.
Shena Franklin has overall responsibility for handling complaints and carries out an analysis of complaints annually.
If you are dissatisfied with the service we have provided then you have the right to complain.
We are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, if you wish to issue a further complaint.
Clients can only complain to the SRA about compliance issues and not bad service. We have to comply with principles and behave fairly and with integrity in the best way to serve the clients.
Poor services issues MUST be directed to the Legal Ombudsman.
For more information about lodging a complaint with the Ombudsman or the SRA, please click here >