We want to give you the best possible service. However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service we have provided then you should inform us immediately, so that we can do our best to resolve the problem.
In the first instance it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your case to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues at this stage. If you would like to make a formal complaint, then you can read our full complaints procedure below. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case and you will not be charged for time spent handling your complaint.
What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint
The Legal Ombudsman may be able to help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves. They will look at complaints independently. Complaining to the Ombudsman will not affect how we handle your case. Most ‘consumer’ clients (as opposed to large businesses) will be able to make use of the Ombudsman scheme however there are restrictions for some larger clients. 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 one year from the date of act/omission being complained about; or
- No more than one year from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.
If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them:
Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9am to 5pm.
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
Please note that the Ombudsman are there to deal with concerns about the level of service received. Where there are more serious concerns that a solicitor or solicitor’s firm have been involved in professional misconduct then reports can also be made to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the regulator of solicitors and solicitor firms. This could be for quite unusual and serious acts of misconduct such as dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristics. Obviously, we do not anticipate any such problems arising and would ask that you notify the matter supervisor straight away if you have any such concerns. You can find out more about the Solicitors Regulation Authority including their contact details on their website: www.sra.org.uk.
We are committed to providing high-quality legal service to all our clients. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will help us address any issues and improve our standards. If you have a complaint, please contact us by an email to info@piperjuris.co.uk or post to our practicing address at Unit Unit 3, 30 Drayton Park, Highbury, LONDON, N5 1PB, with the details of your complaint, and the action you would like us to take in order to remedy that dissatisfaction.
What will happen next?
- We aim to resolve your complaint within eight weeks of your notification. We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within three days of receiving it, enclosing a copy of this procedure.
- We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to our Client Care Officer, who will review your matter file and speak to the member of staff who acted on your behalf.
- The Client Care Officer will then invite you to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. The Client Care Officer will do this within 14 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
- Within three days of the meeting, the Client Care Officer will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions he has agreed with you.
- If you do not want a meeting or it is not possible, the Client Care Officer will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including his suggestions for resolving the matter, within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
- At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will arrange for the Principal or someone unconnected with the matter at the firm to review the decision.
- We will write to you within 14 days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint, and explaining our reasons
- If you are still not satisfied, you can then contact the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) at PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ about your complaint. You can also e-mail the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) at enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk or telephone them on 0300 555 0333 or +44 121 245 3050 if calling from overseas. For further information, please access the Legal Ombudsman (LeO)’s website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
- Please note that the time limit for complaint to the LeO is within 1 year from the act/omission being complained about or 1 year from realising the cause of complaint. Any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) must usually be made within six months of the date of our final decision on your complaint.
If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority can also 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, disability or other characteristic.You may visit https://www.sra.org.uk/ to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitor Regulation Authority.
If you wish to object to our bill, you may also apply to the court for an assessment of the bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974.You may visit https://www.gov.uk/assess-approve-court-costs to see the steps to follow to get the bill assessed by the court.
What will it cost?
We will not charge you for handling your complaint.
Please note however that if we have issued a bill for work done on the matter, and all or some of the bill is not paid, we may be entitled to charge interest on the amount outstanding. This is explained in our Terms and Conditions.
The Legal Ombudsman service is free of charge.