The Legal Complaints Procedure at Duffield Harrison LLP

How to Resolve a Complaint

 

If you have a complaint, we encourage you to try to resolve the issue directly with the fee earner in charge of your case first. An open and honest conversation can often lead to an early resolution. If this does not resolve the matter, please follow the formal process below.

 

Our Complaints Procedure

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Contacting Our Client Care Partner — For formal complaints, please contact David White, our Client Care Partner who will supervise the handling of the complaint. You can reach him at the Hoddesdon office. The address of that office is Rathmore House, 56 High Street, Hoddesdon, Herts EN11 8EX Telephone (01992) 442911.

 

Acknowledging Your Complaint — Once we receive your complaint, we will send an acknowledgment letter within 7 days. This letter will include a request for confirmation or clarification of the details of your complaint, as well as the name of the person handling the matter. This may not be David White.

 

Recording your Complaint — After acknowledging your complaint, we will record it in our Central Register and create a Complaints File. This will be done within 7 days of receiving your complaint.

 

Investigation and Response — Our next steps will include investigating your complaint. This may involve asking the staff member involved to respond within 14 days. We will then review their response and the information in your complaint file. If necessary, we may request additional information, which will take up to 7 days.

 

Meeting to Resolve the Complaint — If the issue is still unresolved, we may invite you to meet with a senior member of our practice within 10 days of receiving all necessary information. Within 7 days of the meeting, we will send you a letter confirming the outcomes and any agreed solutions.

 

If a meeting is not necessary, we will respond to you in writing, outlining our proposed solution within 7 days of completing our investigation.

 

Final Review — If you remain unsatisfied, you can request a further review by another senior member of the firm. We will complete this review within 7 days and send you a final written response, explaining our reasoning and the outcome.

 

External Remedies — If you are still not satisfied after our final response, you can contact Legal Ombudsman:

Address: PO Box 15870, Birmingham B30 9EB

Phone: (0300) 555 0333

Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

 

Please note that complaints to the Legal Ombudsman must typically be made within 6 months of our final written response. For more information, contact the Legal Ombudsman directly.

 

If we need to extend any of the timescales outlined above, we will inform you and explain why.

 

If you have concerns about our bill, you may contact the Legal Ombudsman or apply to the court for an assessment of the bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974.

 

If you are concerned about our conduct, you can contact the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Visit the SRA website for details on how to raise concerns.