Complaints Policy

General

LawPlus Solicitors is committed to delivering innovative, efficient and compassionate legal servicesto all of our clients.  We acknowledge though that to err is human and if something does go wrong we request that you let us know in order that we can rectify matters for you as soon as possible.  Going forward, this also helps us to improve our standard of service.

How Do I Make A Complaint?

If you have any complaints or concerns, please contact the member of our team dealing with your matter in the first instance, either in writing (by letter or email) or by telephone.  They will do their best to resolve your issue.

If you do not feel able to discuss your concerns with the member of our team dealing with your matter, for whatever reason, please contact our Head of Legal, Matthew Reynard.  Matthew can be reached as follows:

It would be helpful if you could please provide the following information when you contact us, in order that we can help you as quickly as possible:

• Your full name;
• Your contact details;
• Your case reference;
• What you are concerned about; and
• How you would like your complaint to be resolved.

If you are in any doubt about how to raise a concern / make a complaint please let us know and we will do our best to assist you. 

What Happens Once I Have Made A Complaint?

1. We will send you a letter acknowledging your complaint within three working days enclosing a copy of this policy.  We may, if we feel it necessary, ask you to clarify matters or explain anything that is unclear to us.
2. We will record your complaint on our central register.
3. We will open a file for your complaint.
4. We will examine the complaint by examining the matter file and liaising with the member of our team in charge of your matter.
5. We may ask you for further information or documents (we will ask that such be provided within a specific period of time).
6. We will update you on the progress of your complaint each week.
7. We may, if we consider it appropriate, invite you to a virtual meeting or telephone conference to discuss your complaint.  This is entirely voluntary – you do not of course have to attend if you are unable to or do not wish to.
8. We aim to be in a position to write to you in detail within twenty one days of our acknowledgement of your complaint to set out what we have done to investigate it, what our view is and what we propose to do to resolve your complaint.  In the event that this is not possible, for example because further enquiries need to be made, we will nevertheless write to you within this time frame to explain the stage that the investigation has reached and when we anticipate being able to provide you with a full reply.  Please be advised that under the procedures set out be the Legal Ombudsman, there is an overriding time limit of eight weeks for the conclusion of any complaint. 

What Can I Do If I Am Not Satisfied With The Outcome Of My Complaint?

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your complaint, please contact Matthew Reynard using one of the above contact details and he will review the matter.

What If I Am Still Not Satisfied With The Outcome Of My Complaint?

Our complaints process concludes when either the matter is resolved to our mutual satisfaction or, if you are dissatisfied with our handling of your complaint, in some instances clients also have the right to ask the Legal Ombudsman to consider their complaint.

The right to ask the Legal Ombudsman to intervene applies if:

• You are an individual; or
• You are a business with fewer than ten employees and turnover or assets not exceeding a certain threshold; or
• You are a charity or trust with a net income of less than £1 million; or
• If you fall within certain other categories.

Your complaint must also normally fall inside two time limits:

• Your complaint should be referred to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of your receipt of our final written response about your complaint; and
• Your complaint should be referred to the Legal Ombudsman within six years of the act or omission you are complaining about or, if it falls outside this period, within three years from when you should reasonably have become aware of the problem. 

Generally, the Legal Ombudsman deals with complaints relating to acts or omissions occurring after 5 October 2010.  For further details, please see the website: legalombudsman.org.uk 

The Legal Ombudsman’s contact details are:

We are also obliged to inform you that other Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”) service providers exist and offer a consumer complaints resolution service.  However, the Legal Ombudsman is the designated scheme for dealing with legal services complaints and, whilst we will always consider using ADR, we are not obliged to do so. 

If your complaint relates to a contract entered into online or by other electronic means, you may also be able to submit it to an approved ADR provider in the UK via the EU “ODR platform”.  This is an interactive website offering a single point of entry for disputes between consumers and traders relating to online contracts.  It is only available to consumers, i.e. where you have instructed us for purposes outside your business, trade or profession. 

What If I Am Not Satisfied With Your Behaviour?

If you are concerned about our behaviour the Solicitors Regulation Authority (“SRA”) can help you.  The SRA get involved, for example, in instances involving firms behaving dishonestly; taking or losing clients’ money; or treating clients unfairly because of their age, a disability or other characteristic. 

Please see the SRA’s website regarding what they can do and how you can raise a concern: sra.org.uk

What Will My Complaint Cost?

We will not charge you for handling your complaint. 

If we have issued a bill for work done on the matter and all or some of it is unpaid, we may be entitled to charge interest on the amount outstanding in the usual manner and as described in our Terms of Business attached to your Engagement Letter. 

The Legal Ombudsman’s Service is free of charge.

ADR entities may charge for their services and are responsible for informing all parties of the costs of its dispute resolution procedure.  

The ODR platform is free to use.   

This policy is current as of 1 January 2022.