Complaints handling procedure for Legal and Immigration Services

We are sorry that you have found yourself in the position of making a complaint. Please follow the stages below, which set out how we will investigate and try to resolve your complaint internally.

Step 1

  1. In the first instance, please refer your complaint to the partner with overall responsibility for the engagement (as detailed in your engagement agreement or Statement of Work). If you have any doubt as to the relevant contact, please do not hesitate to contact the individual with day-to-day conduct of your matter.
  2. The partner with overall responsibility for the supervision of your matter will discuss with you the basis of your complaint and seek to find an appropriate resolution. If it is not possible for the partner with overall supervision of the matter to resolve the issue with you at this stage, your complaint will be acknowledged in writing within 5 working days of that discussion. If this timetable cannot be met and additional time is required to investigate an issue, the partner supervising your case will notify you in writing and confirm when you can expect a response.
  3. Save in exceptional circumstances, a written response will be provided within 14 days of the initial discussion between you and the partner responsible for the overall supervision of your matter.
  4. If it has not been possible to resolve the complaint at this stage, please refer to Step 2 of the Complaints Handling Procedure, below.

Step 2

  1.  If, following the procedure set out at Step 1, you remain unsatisfied with the matter at issue we ask that you contact the following individuals:  for UK&I Law, Philip Goodstone, the UK&I Law practice leader; for FSO Law, Chris Price, the FSO Law practice leader; and for Immigration, the UK Immigration Leader, Denise Isaacs.
  2. Your referred complaint will be acknowledged within 5 working days of receipt.
  3. The partner to whom the complaint has been referred will respond to the complaint within 14 days of the matter being referred. If it is not possible to provide a response within that timeframe, you will be notified accordingly.
  4. You will receive a final response to your complaint once the partner dealing with the referred complaint has fully investigated the issue. For the avoidance of doubt, the final response will be provided within 8 weeks of the complaint first having been referred to the partner responsible for the overall supervision of your matter (at numbered paragraph 1, above).

Legal Ombudsman

If we cannot resolve your complaint to your satisfaction after following the procedure set out below, you may refer the matter to the Legal Ombudsman (http://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/): PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ (Telephone: 0300 555 0333).

The Legal Ombudsman Scheme provides that a complaint may be referred to the Legal Ombudsman if it has not been resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant within 8 weeks of being referred. Pursuant to section 4.5 of the Legal Ombudsman Scheme Rules, complaints must ordinarily be made to the Legal Ombudsman within 6 years of the conduct complained of, or no longer 3 years from the date that the complainant should reasonably have known that there was cause for complaint.