Complaints procedure.

Who handles complaints

Priya Raman, Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP).

How to complain

1. Raise it first with the solicitor handling your matter. Most concerns are about scope, cost or pace and are resolved in a single conversation.
2. If you would rather not, or if that does not resolve it, write to Priya Raman at [email protected]. Set out what went wrong and what outcome you want.
3. We acknowledge every written complaint within five working days and tell you who is investigating it and when to expect a decision.
4. You will have our final written response within eight weeks of the complaint reaching us. If we need longer, we will tell you why and give you a date.

Legal Ombudsman and the SRA

If you are not satisfied with our final response, or if eight weeks pass without one, you can ask the Legal Ombudsman to look at it. You normally need to do so within six months of our final response, and within one year of the act complained of or of when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint. The Legal Ombudsman deals with service complaints. Complaints about our professional conduct — dishonesty, discrimination, breach of the SRA Standards and Regulations — go to the Solicitors Regulation Authority instead. You can approach either without coming to us first, though it is usually quicker if you do.