Complaints Procedure
CHADWICK LAWRENCE LLP
COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
Our Complaints Policy
We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all clients. If something goes wrong, or you are unhappy about the service you have received, we ask that you tell us about it in the hope that the matter can be resolved. This will also help us to improve our standards.
If your complaint relates to a Real Estate (conveyancing) matter:
- In the first instance please raise any concerns with the person dealing with your matter.
- If they are unable to resolve your issues, or if you are uncomfortable in raising the issue directly with them, please put your complaint in writing to the File Supervisor whose details can be found in the client care letter you received at the beginning of your matter.
- If the File Supervisor is unable to resolve the complaint to your satisfaction, please refer your complaint in writing to Natalie Glover, who is a Partner in the Real Estate team and responsible for client care within that team.
Natalie Glover Chadwick Lawrence LLP Paragon Point
Paragon Business Village Wakefield WF1 2DF
If you should refer your complaint to Natalie Glover, please:
(i) Provide copies of correspondence between you and the file handler with regard to the complaint;
(ii) Provide a copy of your complaint to the File Supervisor and their response;
(iii) Explain why you are unhappy with the File Supervisor’s decision and in what way you believe it to be wrong.
You should expect to receive a full response to your complaint within twenty-eight days of receipt.
If your complaint relates to any other matter:
- In the first instance please raise any concerns with the person dealing with your matter.
- If they are unable to resolve your issues, or if you are uncomfortable in raising the issue directly with them, please put your complaint in writing to the File Supervisor whose details can be found in the client care letter you received at the beginning of your matter.
- If the File Supervisor is unable to resolve the complaint to your satisfaction, please refer your complaint in writing to Paul Carvis, the Partner responsible for dealing with client care.
Paul Carvis
Chadwick Lawrence LLP 8-16 Dock Street
Leeds LS10 1LX
If you should refer your complaint to Paul Carvis, please:
(i) Provide copies of correspondence between you and the file handler with regard to the complaint;
(ii) Provide a copy of your complaint to the File Supervisor and their response;
(iii) Explain why you are unhappy with the File Supervisor’s decision and in what way you believe it to be wrong.
You should expect to receive a full response to your complaint within twenty-eight days of receipt.
What Will Happen Next
- We will send you a letter acknowledging your complaint. We may ask you to confirm or explain the detail set out.
- We will record your complaint in our Central Register and open a file for your complaint. We will do this within five days of receiving your complaint.
- We will then start to investigate your complaint. This will involve reviewing the file, considering the correspondence that has been raised in relation to the complaint and input from the Supervisor.
- We shall respond to your complaint in writing, setting out the decision and the reasons for that decision and this we shall endeavour to do within four weeks of the matter being referred to Natalie Glover or Paul Carvis.
Should you still be unhappy with the decision then you are entitled to bring this matter to the attention of the Legal Ombudsman, whose contact details are as follows:-
Address: PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Telephone: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
The time limits for referring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman will be not later than:- One year from the date of the act or omission being complained about: or
One year from the date when the complainant (yourself) should have realised that there was cause for complaint.
In addition, your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must be made within six months of the date of our final response to you.
The Legal Ombudsman may in some circumstances exercise discretion to extend the one year period if, on the evidence, it is fair and reasonable to do so.
Please note that alternative bodies such as Pro-Mediate (www.promediate.co.uk) exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should you and we agree to use such a scheme. Please note that we do not agree necessarily to use Pro-Mediate.
Also, should you have received our client care information, including our statement of terms and terms of business at the outset of your matter from us electronically, under the EU Regulation on Consumer Online Dispute Resolution, you may use the online dispute resolution platform (http://ec.europa.eu/odr). Our email address for this is paulcarvis@chadlaw.co.uk.
If you should have a complaint about conduct, you may contact the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Details of the SRA can be found at www.sra.org.uk or by writing to them at The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham, B1 1RN.
21 January 2025
