We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service and to deal with all our clients fairly. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to improve our standards.
This procedure is intended for clients of the firm. If you are not a client but wish to make a complaint, we will investigate and provide you with a response. However, use of this procedure in these circumstances is at our discretion.
If you are a client of the firm but need to appoint a representative to raise a complaint on your behalf, please complete and return the Representative Authority Form.
The time limits specified below for how we aim to handle your complaints, will not come into force until we have received the completed form in circumstances where a representative is required. This is because we cannot discuss the complaints received, or any client matters, without our client’s express permission to do so.
Please note that your complaint file will be handed separately from your retainer with the firm. If you wish for someone to complain on your behalf or there are multiple parties to the complaint, a specific authority form must be completed so we are sure that you, as our client, wish to have complaints raised and reviewed on your behalf.
1. You can contact us by:
Our Complaints Partner is Fiona Hayles.
2. To help us understand your complaint, and in order that we do not miss anything, please tell us:
1. We will send you a letter or email acknowledging receipt of your complaint within three working days of us receiving the complaint, enclosing a copy of this procedure.
2. We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to the relevant Partner who is/was supervising your matter. They will review your complaint and your file and speak to the person who dealt with your matter. We may need to ask you for further information or documents. If so, we will ask you to provide the information in a set period of time. If the complaint involves the supervising partner, they will refer it to another partner and will confirm who will deal with it.
3. We will write to you by letter or email at the end of our investigation. This will tell you what we have found and what we propose to do to resolve your complaint, where we feel it is necessary for us to do something to resolve matters.
4. Where possible, we will aim to do this within 28 days of the date of our letter or email of acknowledgment. In circumstances where a representative is appointed to be your point of contact, we will aim to do this within 28 days of receipt of the completed Representative Authority Form. We cannot discuss your complaints with your appointed representative without it
5. If we have to change any of these timescales, we will let you know and explain why.
6. The Legal Ombudsman allows us 8 weeks to try to reach a resolution to your complaint.
1. If you are not satisfied with our response to your complaint, you can contact the Legal Ombudsman and ask them to consider matters further. You can contact the Legal Ombudsman by post, telephone or email:
Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6167
Slough
SL1 0EH
Telephone: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
For minicom call 0300 555 1777
The Legal Ombudsman expects complaints to be made within one year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned or within one year of you realising there was a concern. You must also refer your concerns to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response to you.
Further details are available on the Legal Ombudsman’s website www.legalombudsman.org.uk.
1. We will not charge you for handling your complaint.
2. 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 any amount outstanding.
3. The Legal Ombudsman service is also free of charge.
If you think a solicitor may have been dishonest or you have concerns about their ethics and/or integrity, you also have the right to notify our regulator, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
There are no time limits for making a report but there are limits on what the SRA will consider. They may require evidence from you to demonstrate the issues raised with them, to allow them to investigate matters.
Please note that the SRA is not able to deal with issues of unreasonable service. Complaints of that nature should instead be referred to the Legal Ombudsman using the details above, after a complaint has first been raised with this firm.
For further information about the SRA’s role, please contact the SRA. Their address is:
Solicitors Regulation Authority
The Cube
199 Wharfside Street
Birmingham B1 1RN
Their website is www.sra.org.uk
St Philip's House
4 St Philip's Place
Birmingham B3 2PP
County House
St Mary’s Street
Worcester WR1 1HB
Hyperian Law Limited is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA No. 641892)
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