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. We provide clients with information about our complaints procedure at the start and conclusion of their matter, and at any time on request. If at any point you become unhappy with the service we provide to you or you have concerns about your bill, then you should inform us immediately so that we can do our best to resolve the problem for you.

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about:

• the legal services we provide; 
• our fees or billing arrangements; or 
• the way we collect, use, store, share, retain or otherwise process personal data, including concerns relating to information security, confidentiality, cyber incidents, data breaches, subject access requests, marketing communications or other data protection rights.

We will not charge you for handling your complaint and we will deal with it promptly and fairly and in accordance with our regulatory and legal obligations.

If you have a complaint, please contact us with the details.

Data Protection and Information Security Complaints

If your complaint relates to the way we process your personal data or to information security, confidentiality or cyber security concerns, please provide as much detail as possible so that we can investigate appropriately.

We will:

• acknowledge receipt of your complaint; 
• make appropriate enquiries and investigate the matter proportionately; 
• keep you informed of progress where our investigation is ongoing; and 
• notify you of the outcome and any actions we propose to take. 

You have the right to raise concerns about our handling of your personal data directly with us. If you remain dissatisfied after we have responded, you may raise your concerns with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

What will happen next?

1. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within three working days of receipt. For complaints relating to data protection or information security, this acknowledgement will in any event be provided within the statutory period required by applicable data protection legislation.
2. We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to our complaints handling partner, Andrew Robins, who will review your matter file and speak to the member of staff who acted for you. Where the complaint relates to personal data, confidentiality, information security or a suspected data breach, the investigation may also involve another individual, depending on the precise nature of your complaint.
3. Andrew Robins will then invite you to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. He will do this within 14 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
4. Within three days of the meeting, he 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, he will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including his suggestions for resolving the matter, within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
6. Where a complaint involves data protection or information security issues and our investigation is ongoing, we will keep you informed of progress and any revised timescales.
7. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will arrange for another partner or someone unconnected with the matter at the firm to review his decision.
8. We will write to you within 14 days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons. This letter will represent our final written response to your complaint.
9. If your complaint has not been resolved within eight weeks of being made, or if you remain dissatisfied with our final written response, you may refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, which investigates complaints about legal services.

   Ordinarily, you must refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:

   • within six months of the date of our final written response to your complaint;
   • no later than one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about; or
   • no later 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:

   Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
   Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
   Telephone: 0300 555 0333
   Relay UK: 18001 0300 555 0333
   Post: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH

   Calls from both mobiles and landlines to 03 numbers cost no more than calls to national geographic numbers (starting 01 or 02). Calls are recorded and may be used for training and monitoring purposes.

   Do not send original documents to the Legal Ombudsman. They will scan any documents you send to make computer copies and then destroy the originals.

   Alternative complaints bodies (such as Ombudsman Services or ProMediate) exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our firm wish to use such a scheme. The Legal Ombudsman is the ADR body approved for legal services. We do not agree to use an alternative ADR scheme other than the Legal Ombudsman.

10. If your complaint concerns the way we have processed your personal data, our handling of a data protection request, confidentiality, information security or a personal data breach, and you remain dissatisfied after receiving our response, you may contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

    The ICO is the UK’s independent authority responsible for upholding information rights and data protection law.

    Website: https://ico.org.uk
    Telephone: 0303 123 1113
    Post: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane,
    Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

11. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) regulates solicitors and law firms. The SRA can help you if you are concerned about our conduct, for example dishonesty, misuse of client money, or discrimination. You can raise your concerns directly with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
12. If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.