BUTCHER ANDREWS COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to our clients.
When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to sort out any mistakes or misunderstandings, and to improve our standards.
If you have a complaint, please raise the problem with the lawyer responsible for your matter, or if you prefer, our complaints manager, David Richards. You can contact him at our Fakenham office, telephone number 01328 852839.
A copy of our written complaints procedure is available on request. You should allow us at least eight weeks to resolve your complaint.
What will happen next?
- We are committed to high quality legal advice and client care. If you are unhappy about any aspect of the service you receive, or about any charges, please contact David Richards, our complaints handler, by post or phone, at our Fakenham office. A copy of our written complaints procedure is available on request. You should allow us at least eight weeks to resolve your complaint.
|
- If after this time you are not satisfied with how we have handled your complaint, you can have the complaint independently looked at by the Legal Ombudsman. The Legal Ombudsman investigates complaints about service issues with lawyers.
|
- The Legal Ombudsman expects complaints to be made to them within one year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned or within one year of you realising there was a concern. You must also refer your concerns to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response to you.
|
- You may also be entitled to apply to the Court for an assessment of our charges under part III of the Solicitors Act 1974, including in relation to an interim invoice. The Legal Ombudsman may not deal with a complaint about our charges if you have applied to the Court for assessment of the charges. If all or part of our charges remain unpaid, the firm may be entitled to charge interest. The right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman does not apply to most businesses; charities or clubs with an annual income of more than £1,000,000; or trustees of Trusts with asset value of more than £1,000,000.
|
- An application for assessment made more than one month after delivery of our invoice requires the permission of the court, and special circumstances will be required before the court will allow an application after judgment has been obtained against you, 12 months from delivery of the bill or after payment. No assessment can take place more than 12 months after payment.
|
Referring a complaint to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (“SRA”)
If you are concerned about matters such as conduct or ethics, you should report these concerns to the SRA.
Details of how to do this can be found at: http://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/.
The SRA can be contacted via their website (http://www.sra.org.uk/contactus/) or by the following means:
Phone: 0370 606 2555 (or +44(0)121 329 6800 for international callers)
Fax: +44 (0)121 616 1999
Post: Solicitors Regulation Authority, The Cube, 199 Wharf Street, Birmingham, B1 1RN
