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. Whenever possible, please raise any initial client care problems with the person acting on your matter to give them the opportunity of resolving matters with you.
Our complaints procedure
If you have a concern or a complaint that has not been dealt with to your satisfaction by the person handling your case, please contact us as soon as you are aware of the problem so this can be addressed.
What will happen next?
1. We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within 5 days of our receiving the complaint, enclosing a copy of this procedure.
2. We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to our principal solicitor, Sara Ludlow Lane, who will review your matter file and speak to the member of staff who acted for you.
3. She will then invite you to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. She will do this within 14 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
4. Within three days of the meeting, she will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions she has agreed with you.
5. If you do not want a meeting or it is not possible, Sara will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including her suggestions for resolving the matter, within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
6. If we are unable to resolve your complaint within eight weeks after you have brought it to our attention, then you can have the complaint independently looked at by the Legal Ombudsman. The Legal Ombudsman investigates complaints about poor service from lawyers.
The Legal Ombudsman can investigate complaints up to six years from the date of the problem happening or within three years of when you found out about the problem. If you wish to refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman this must be done within six months of our final response to your complaint. The contact details for the Legal Ombudsman are as follows:
- Website: legalombudsman.org.uk
- Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
- Telephone 0300 555 0333 between 8.30am to 5.30pm
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.
- For minicom call 0300 555 1777
- In writing: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
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.
Normally, you will need to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving a final written response from us about your complaint and within the following timescales:
– six years from the date of the act or omission about which you are complaining occurring; or
– three years from the date you should reasonably have known there were grounds for complaint.
If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.
We will not charge you for handling your complaint.
Complaints in relation to bills
The complaints procedure above also applies to complaints arising concerning our bill. There may also be a right to object to the bill by applying to the court for an assessment of the bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974; the Legal Ombudsman may not consider a complaint about a bill if you have applied to the court for assessment of that bill.
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Ludlow Lane Solicitors
We are not tied into corporate targets, enabling us to offer a tailored service suited to each individual case.
Ludlow Lane Solicitors are members of Resolution and subscribe to the Resolution Code of Good Practice, details of which can be found here.