S J Palin & Co Solicitors

Experienced Northumberland Solicitors

Complaints Handling Policy

S J PALIN & Co. SOLICITORS

Complaints Handling Policy

 

Our complaints policy

 

We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all our clients.  When you feel that something in our service has not been as you would have wished, we need you to write, email or tell us about it. This will help us to improve our standards.

 

If you have a complaint, please contact us with the details.

 

What will happen next

 

  1. As a sole practice, the Principal of the firm, Mr Samuel Palin will within ten working days of receiving your complaint, send you a letter acknowledging receipt and enclosing a copy of this procedure.

 

  1. Mr Palin will then investigate your complaint. He will personally review your file and if appropriate discuss the problem with any staff who were involved.

 

  1. He will then invite you to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. He will do this within ten working days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.

 

  1. Within five working days of the meeting, he will write to you to confirm any solutions he has agreed with you.

 

  1. If you do not want a meeting or if one is not possible within fifteen working days of sending you the acknowledgement letter, he will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint including any suggestions for resolving the matter.

 

  1. At this stage if you indicate in writing you are not satisfied, with your authority, we will then refer the matter to the Principal or senior partner of another firm to consider the matter. We will offer three alternative persons in this regard for you to choose from. The person chosen will then be furnished with the full file and all information that he or she requires to enable them to make a full review of the matter and make a recommendation for resolution.

 

  1. If you are still not satisfied or reject the possibility of other solicitor review, you may agree to refering the matter to mediation.

 

  1. Following either the other solicitor or mediator’s recommendation we will write to

you within ten working days confirming our final position on your complaint and

explaining our reasons.

 

  1. If you are still not satisfied you can contact the:-

 

Legal Ombudsman

PO Box 15870

Birmingham

B30 9EB

 

Any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within six months of the date of our final written response on your complaint but for further information you should contact the Legal Ombudsman  on 0300 555 0333

or at enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

 

If we have to change any of the timescales above we will let you know and explain why.