If you have any reason to be unhappy with the service provided by our firm then the following procedure should be followed:
Stage 1
Firstly, please put your complaint in writing to the solicitor handling your case. Most problems can be resolved at this stage.
Stage 2
If you are not able to resolve matters with your solicitor then please restate your complaint to the Complaints Manager:
For Dan Bonsall’s cases, the Complaints Manger will be Hayley King. You can contact her in writing to our office or by email to info@didsburyfamilylaw.com.
For Hayley Kings’s cases, the Complaints Manger will be Dan Bonsall. You can contact him in writing to our office or by email to dan@didsburyfamilylaw.com.
For Sara Chanan’s cases, the Complaints Manger will be Dan Bonsall. You can contact him in writing to our office or by email to dan@didsburyfamilylaw.com.
Please mark your communication ‘complaint’. The Complaints Manager will acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days. They will then fully investigate your complaint including studying the case file, speaking to the solicitor handling your case and perhaps arranging a personal meeting with you. We aim to complete the investigation of your complaint within 14 days of sending the acknowledgement letter.
Our findings will then be communicated to you in writing. We will aim to reach a resolution with you which is satisfactory for you and the firm. We will aim to do this within 21 days of the acknowledgement letter.
If you are still unhappy after this stage then you may request a review of our decision. You will the receive a further report within 14 days. This report will confirm our final position on your complaint. We will not charge you for handling your complaint.
If we have not resolved your complaint within 8 weeks of the date of the complaint then you may complain directly to the Legal Ombudsman.
Stage 3
The Legal Ombudsman will normally only consider a complaint from you if we have failed to resolve the matter first. You would need to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within 6 months of receiving a final written response from us. The Legal Ombudsman service is free of charge.
The time limits for the Legal Ombudsman accepting a complaint is 6 years from the date of act or omission, or 3 years from when you should have reasonably known about the complaint. However, the Legal Ombudsman will not accept complaints where the act or date of awareness was before 6 October 2010.
The contact details for the Legal Ombudsman are, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ, telephone 0300 555 0333 or visit www.legalombudsman.org.uk.
Please note that if your complaint relates to our fees, you may also apply to the Court for an assessment of the bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. The Legal Ombudsman may not deal with your complaint if you have already applied for an assessment.
Stage 4
We are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. If we are unable to resolve your complaint satisfactorily then you may pursue your complaint through the SRA rather than the Legal Ombudsman. Guidance on the types of complaints which ought to be brought to the SRA’s attention can be found on their website at https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/. Additional guidance on bringing your complaint to the attention of the SRA and the online form is provided at https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor/.