Introduction
We are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Providing a high standard of service to our clients is a priority for us, and we are committed to continually improving what we do.
However, if something does go wrong and you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our advice, service, or fees, we encourage you to let us know. This gives us the opportunity to address your concerns and resolve the matter fairly, efficiently, and as quickly as possible.
You can use the procedure set out below to raise a concern or complaint about our advice or service, or about any invoice or fees charged.
Stage 1 – How do I make a complaint?
Please tell us the full nature of your concern. Where possible, we would prefer complaints to be made in writing to help avoid any misunderstanding. However, this is not mandatory, and you may also raise your concerns by telephone or in person.
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. If you do not feel able to discuss your concerns with them, please contact the person responsible for the overall supervision of your matter, who will be named in the client care letter we sent you at the beginning of your matter.
If you do not feel able to raise your concerns with either of these people, or you are unsatisfied with their response, please contact Sergii Kupriienko, our Managing Partner who has overall responsibility for complaints and whose contact details are:
| Contact number | Email address | Postal address |
|---|---|---|
| +44 (0) 7581551356 +44 (0) 2038783181 |
sergey@fairhillsolicitors.com | Fairhill Solicitors Ltd Level 30 The Leadenhall Building 122 Leadenhall Street London EC3V 4AB |
To help us to understand your complaint, and in order that we do not miss anything, please tell us:
- your full name and contact details;
- what you think we have got wrong;
- how you would like your complaint to be resolved; and
- your file reference number (if you have it).
If you require any help in making your complaint we will try to help you.
Stage 2 – How will we deal with you complaint?
We will write to you within five working days acknowledging your complaint, enclosing a copy of this policy.
We will then investigate your complaint within ten working days of acknowledging receipt of your complaint. This will usually involve:
-
- reviewing your complaint;
- reviewing your file(s) and other relevant documents; and
- liaising with the person who dealt with your matter.
We may also need to ask you for further information or documents. If so, we will ask you to provide the information within a specific period of time.
If, for any reason, we are unable to investigate your complaint within ten working days of acknowledging its receipt, we will write to you to explain why and provide a revised timescale.
We will update you on the progress of your complaint at appropriate times.
We may also, if appropriate, invite you to a meeting to discuss your complaint. You do not have to attend if you do not wish to or if you are unable to. We will be happy to discuss the matter with you by telephone or video conference.
We will write to you at the end of our investigation to tell you what we have done and what we propose to do to resolve your complaint. Where possible, we will aim to do this within fifteen working days of the date of our letter of acknowledgement.
Stage 3 – What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint
If you are satisfied with our response following the above steps, that will be the end of the matter. However, if you are not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will review our decision. We will write to you within ten working days of receiving your request with confirmation of the firm’s final position in relation to your complaint, outlining the reasons and any final redress that is offered.
If having exhausted our own internal complaints handling procedure as described above you are still not satisfied with our final written response to your complaint, or with the manner in which we handled the complaint, you may ask the Legal Ombudsman to consider the matter.
The Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves. They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your matter.
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 six years from the date of act/omission; or
- no more than three years 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.
Contact details
Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6806
Wolverhampton
WV1 9WJ
Contact no: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk>
Step 4 – What to do if you are unhappy with our behaviour?
The Solicitors Regulation Authority can 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, a disability or other characteristic.
There are no time limits for making a report but there are limits on what the SRA will consider. Please note that the SRA is not able to deal with issues of poor service (complaints of this nature should instead be referred to the Legal Ombudsman). For further information about the SRA’s role, please contact the SRA or visit: https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor.page#report
What will it cost?
We will not charge you for handling your complaint. Please note 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 of Business.
The Legal Ombudsman service is free of charge.