Complaints Handling Policy

Our commitment

We strive to provide our clients with the best service possible. However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service we have provided, or about the bill, then you should inform us immediately so that we can try and 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 please contact our Head of Client Care, Peter Medd on 01642 777680, email enquiries@cygnetlaw.co.uk or by post to our office at Portland House, West Dyke Road, Redcar TS10 1DH. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case.

What will happen next?

We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within five days of receiving it, enclosing a copy of this procedure.
We will investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to Mr Medd, who will review your matter file and speak to the member of staff who acted for you.
Mr Medd will then invite you to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. He will do this within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
Within five days of that meeting Mr Medd will write to you to confirm what took place and set out any solutions he has agreed with you.
If you do not want a meeting, or it is not possible, you will be sent a detailed written reply to your complaint, including the suggestions for resolving the matter, within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgement latter.
At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will arrange for another senior member of the Practice 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 we have to change any of the above timescales, we will let you know and explain why.

The Legal Ombudsman

If you are still not satisfied with our handling of your complaint you can ask the Legal Ombudsman to consider the complaint. We would hope that this does not become necessary and that we can resolve matters between ourselves. Contact details are as follows:

Legal Ombudsman

PO Box 6167

Slough

SL1 0EH

0300 555 0333

enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

www.legalombudsman.org.uk

The Legal Ombudsman expects complaints to be made to them 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.

Complaints about your bill

The above complaints procedure also applies to complaints arising concerning our bill. There may also be a right to object to the bill by applying to the court for an assessment of the bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974; and that if all, or part, of a bill remains unpaid, the Practice may be entitled to charge interest.

Raising concerns with our regulator

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) can help you 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. Further information is available at www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor.