Complaints Handling Procedure

Our Complaints Policy

We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all our clients. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to improve our standards.

Our Complaints Procedure

If you have a complaint about our service or a bill that we have rendered or both, please contact us with the details.

The person to contact is Mr Javed Bhuta, and he can be reached at:

Muirfields Buildings, 5 Fairways Office Park, Pittman Way, Fulwood, Preston, PR2 9LF

What will happen next?

1. We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within 7 days of us receiving the complaint, enclosing a copy of this procedure.

2. We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to Mr Javed Bhuta who will review your file and speak to the member of staff who acted for you.

3. Mr Javed Bhuta may invite you to a telephone meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. This will be done within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.

4. Within 56 days of the meeting, Mr Javed Bhuta will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions he has agreed with you.

5. If you do not want a meeting or it is not possible, Mr Javed Bhuta will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including his suggestions for resolving the matter, within 56 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.

6. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will arrange for Mr Mohsin Patel (Director) or someone unconnected with the matter at the practice to review the decision.

7. We will write to you within 56 days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.

8. If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.

9. If you are still not satisfied, you can then contact the Legal Ombudsman at:

PO Box 6806
Wolverhampton
WV1 9WJ
Tel: 0300 555 0333 or 0121 245 3050

Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

There are time limits within which complaints must be made to the Legal Ombudsman, as indicated below.

·                Generally speaking, your complaint should be made to the Ombudsman within six months of receiving a final response from us to your complaint

and

·                No more than six years from the date of act/omission; or

·                No more than three years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.

You also need to be aware that the Ombudsman only deals with complaints from the following:

(a)     an enterprise which, at the time that the complaint is made, is a micro-enterprise within the meaning of arts.1, 2(1) and (3) of the Annex to Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC, as that Recommendation had effect at the date it was adopted;

(b)     a charity with an annual income net of tax of less than £1 million at the time at which the complainant refers the complaint to the respondent;

(c)     a club, association or organisation, the affairs of which are managed by its members or a committee or committees of its members, with an annual income net of tax of less than £1 million at the time at which the complainant refers the complaint to the respondent;

(d)     a trustee of a trust with an asset value of less than £1 million at the time at which the complainant refers the complaint to the respondent;

(e)     a personal representative of an estate of a person; or

(f)      a beneficiary of an estate of a person.