Complaints Procedure

We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service.

We acknowledge that we may not always get it right, so if something has gone wrong, including in relation to our charges, we need you to tell us. This will help us to improve our standards of service.

How do I make a complaint?

You can contact us in writing (by letter or email) or by telephone.

In the first instance, it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your case to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues. If you do not feel able to discuss your concerns with them, please contact the person responsible for the overall supervision of your matter, who will be named in the client care letter we sent you at the beginning of your matter.

If you do not feel able to raise your concerns with either of these people, or you are unsatisfied with their response, please contact our Head of Professional Standards who has overall responsibility for complaints and whose contact details are:

Belinda Pennington, AmicusLaw LLP, 2 Fore Street, Wellington, Somerset TA21 8AQ, or via email to belinda.pennington@amicuslaw.co.uk

To help us to understand your complaint, and in order that we do not miss anything, please tell us:

  • your full name and contact details;
  • what you think we have got wrong;
  • how you would like your complaint to be resolved; and
  • your file reference number (if you have it).

If you require any help in making your complaint we will try to help you.

How will you deal with my complaint?

We will write to you within five working days acknowledging your complaint, enclosing a copy of this policy.

We will then investigate your complaint. This will usually involve:

  • reviewing your complaint;
  • reviewing your file(s) and other relevant documents; and
  • liaising with the person who dealt with your matter.

We may also need to ask you for further information or documents.

We may also, if appropriate, invite you to a meeting to discuss your complaint. You do not have to attend if you do not wish to or if you are unable to. We will be happy to discuss the matter with you by telephone or video conference.

We will write to you at the end of our investigation to tell you what we have done and what we propose to do to resolve your complaint. Where possible, we will aim to do this within twenty-one working days of the date of our letter of acknowledgement.

If we do not hear from you within twenty-one days from the date of the letter, we shall assume that you accept the conclusion. However, if you are not satisfied with the outcome, you can ask for the decision to be reviewed by a Partner. We aim to complete the review within 21 working days.

Our timescales are subject to amendment depending on the complexity of the matter and submission. If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.

What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint

The Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves.

They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case.

Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:

  • within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint;

and

  • no more than one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about;

or

  • no more than one year from the date when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.

The contact details for the Legal Ombudsman are as follows;

Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9am to 5pm.

Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ

Please Note before contacting the Legal Ombudsman:

  1. If your complaint is specifically about our bill, you have the right to object to it and apply for an assessment of it under part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. If you should choose to exercise this right, and the court is assessing our bill, you may be unable to use the Legal Ombudsman service.
  2. If you are complaining as a business client, unless you are a “micro business” (as defined by the European Union), you may not be able to use the Legal Ombudsman scheme and should check the guidance on Legal Ombudsman’s website.
  3. If you refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman as a trustee/personal representative (executor/administrator) or beneficiary of the estate/trust of a person who, before they died, had not referred the complaint to the Legal Ombudsman the period runs from when the deceased should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint; and when the complainant (or the deceased) should reasonably have known there was a cause for complaint will be assessed on the basis of the complainant’s (or deceased’s) own knowledge, disregarding what the complainant (or the deceased) might have been told if he/she had sought advice.
  4. If the Ombudsman considers there are exceptional circumstances (e.g., serious illness or you were still within the time limits when you made your initial complaint to them) then he/she may extend any of the above time limits to the extent that he/she considers fair.

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 protected characteristic.

You can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

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