Farringford Legal Complaints Procedure

We will always to our best to provide you with the best possible service.  It is important to us that our services enable you to achieve what you need to do. We do however recognise that sometimes things might not work out the way intended and therefore, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the services we have provided then you should inform us immediately so that we can do our best to resolve the problem.

Please follow these steps to ensure that your concerns are resolved quickly:

First

In the first instance it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your matter to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues at this stage.  You may prefer to put your concerns in writing, in which case please send your letter or an email to the person who is acting for you.

Second

If your main contact is not able to resolve matters to your satisfaction or if you find it difficult to speak to them about a complaint, please write to or call one of the other directors, who will do their best to sort out the situation for you.

Third

If you are dissatisfied by the way your main contact has handled your complaint please email Sarah-Jane Butler: sj.butler@farringfordlegal.co.uk and she will liaise with you to clear your concerns.

Any stage:

If at any stage you would prefer to meet with the person dealing with your complaint then just let us know.

What we will do

After sending you an acknowledgment within three days of your complaint, we aim to investigate your complaint and give you a full response within 21 days but if your complaint is more complex we may require more time, and will let you know when you will receive a full response.

If our service to you is found to be below standard we will discuss ways in which we can make things better or, if appropriate, recompense you in some way.

Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help 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.

You can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority http://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor.page

What you can do if we cannot resolve your complaint

Legal Ombudsman (LeO)

The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) can help you if we are unable to resolve your compliant ourselves.  They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case.

Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first.  If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:

· Within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint

and

· No more than six years from the date of act/omission; or

· No more than three years from when you should reasonably have known there was a cause for complaint.

If you would like more information About the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them. Their contact details are:

Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough SL1 0EH 

Telephone: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk