Our complaints policy
We are committed to providing a high-quality service to our clients. This includes a commitment to putting things right when they go wrong. This policy explains how we will deal with any complaint that is referred to us. Your complaint might concern the way in which you have been dealt with, the quality of advice you have received or any invoice that you have received.
Our complaints procedure
If you have a complaint, please contact Sophie Cisler, Director of Risk and Compliance. You can contact her by post at:
Chess Chambers
2 Broadway Court
Chesham
HP5 1EG
or by email at: sophie.cisler@lennonssolicitors.co.uk
It is preferable that you put your concerns into writing but if you find it difficult to do so she can be contacted by telephone:
01494 773377
To explain to you how long this process might take we have included our target times for each stage of the process. Where, for any reason, it is not possible to observe any of these limits we will let you know and explain why. Our timescales are subject to conditions including staff absences or whether we require further information from you before being able to proceed.
What will happen next?
1 – On receipt of your complaint Sophie Cisler or her deputy will acknowledge your complaint in writing. She or a member of her team will examine the file that we have on the work that we have been doing for you. We would look to acknowledge your complaint within three working days of receiving it and will complete our initial examination within twenty-one working days.
2 – Unless we need to contact you for further information or clarification, we will write to you setting out our views on the situation and suggesting any redress that we would feel to be appropriate. We will aim to write to you with our views and any suggestions within seven working days of completing our investigation.
3 – Where we feel that we have failed in our standards we could offer an apology, a reduction of any bill or a repayment in relation to any payment received.
4 – If, by this stage, you are still not satisfied, please let us know. It would be helpful to us if you could do so within the next twenty-one days but there is no obligation on you to do so. We will then arrange to review our decision. We would generally aim to do this within fourteen working days of hearing from you. We will usually do this by asking another director of this firm to review the file that we have on your complaint and see if they agree with our response. If you have provided additional information in your response, it may be appropriate for the person who originally investigated your complaint to review their investigation and response before replying to you.
5 – We will let you know the result of the review within seven working days of the end of the review and will do so by writing to you to confirm our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.
6 – You may, if you wish, approach the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) who provides a service examining complaints against lawyers, including solicitors’ firms. He will usually expect us to have concluded our examination of your complaint within eight weeks and will usually expect to have complaints referred to him within six months of the end of our complaints handling process as set out above. The services provided by the Legal Ombudsman are limited to individuals and smaller organisations – for more details see his website. The full details of how to contact the Legal Ombudsman are as follows:
- Telephone: 0300 555 0333
- Minicom: 0300 555 1777
- E-mail: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
- Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
- Address: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
Please note that, as of 1 April 2023, the Legal Ombudsman will generally only accept complaint referrals one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about or one year from the date when the complainant should have realised that there was cause for complaint. However, they may exercise discretion to extend the one year time limit if, on the evidence, it was fair and reasonable to do so.
7 – We are required to inform you that alternative complaints handling bodies (such Promediate, Brow Farm, Top Road, Frodsham, Cheshire WA6 6SP, 01928 732455, www.promediate.co.uk) exist which are able to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and we wish to use such a scheme. We do not wish to use such schemes.
8 – The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help you if you are concerned about our behaviour. This would include if you had concerns about dishonesty, our use of your money or discrimination against you. You can raise your concerns with them directly.
9 – If your complaint is about a bill you have the right to complain to LeO and/or apply to the Court for the assessment of the bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. However, if you have already applied to the Court for an assessment of your bill LeO may not deal with your complaint.
Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. We will do our best to address any dissatisfaction that you have experienced in using the services of this firm. Our primary objective is to put things right.
Updated: April 2024