THE “THREE” COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
We at SBG Solicitors are committed to providing a high quality legal service to all our clients. When something goes wrong, you are entitled to complain. The complaint need not be limited to the standard of work undertaken on your case, it can also be about the Firm’s bill. But we need you to tell us about it as soon as possible so that we can do our best to resolve the problem. This will help us to maintain and improve our standards.
Our complaints procedure
In the first instance, you should contact the solicitor responsible for dealing with your case to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues at this stage.
If you would like to make a formal complaint then you can read our full complaints procedure in our client care letter which is normally sent to you at the outset of the case. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case.
If a formal complaint is raised then you can expect your complaint to be dealt with by our complaint representative who will write to you with an outcome on your complaint and explaining his reasons. In the event he cannot resolve your complaint he will give you the name and address of the Legal Ombudsman ( LeO ) whom you can contact at:
Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
Tel: 0300 555 0333
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Email: [email protected]
WHEN TO COMPLAIN TO THE LEGAL OMBUDSMAN
Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If we have not, then you may take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman who will look at your complaint independently.
The Legal Ombudsman only deals with complaints concerning poor service, such as:
i. Delayed or unclear communications
ii. Problems with your bill
iii. Loss of documents
WHEN TO COMPLAIN TO THE SOLICITORS REGULATION AUTHORITY ( The SRA )
In certain situations The SRA 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.
If the Legal Ombudsman thinks your case involves a breach of the SRA Principles, they will refer your case to them.
Likewise, you can report the matter directly to the SRA if you believe we have breached any of the SRA Principles: https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/who-we-are/sra-regulate/
Where there is a failure to comply with the Principles, the SRA will take into account the risk posed to the public and consumers to decide how best to ensure they are protected.
The SRA have extensive powers, however, they do not have the power to resolve complaints about poor service. Neither can they award compensation or request us to reduce or refund any legal fees.