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Swayne Johnson Complaints Policy

We want to provide a high-quality legal service. However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service we have provided then you should inform us immediately.

In the first instance it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your case to discuss your concerns so that these can be addressed at that stage. If you would like to make a formal complaint, then you can read our full complaints procedure below.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic. You can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority

 

Our Complaints Policy

We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all our clients. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to improve our standards.

If you have a complaint, please contact us with the details.

Your complaint will be referred to the line manager of the lawyer dealing with your matter who is usually the Head of Department for the type of work we are dealing with on your behalf. The name of that individual is contained in the Terms and Conditions provided to you. If the Head of Department is the lawyer dealing with your matter, your complaint will be referred to another director or to the Managing Director, Sarah Noton, who will refer your concerns to another director for investigation and reply.

 

What Will Happen Next?

  1. We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within three working days of receiving it, enclosing a copy of this procedure.
  2. Your complaint will then be investigated and we will respond to you within the next 14 days. If it is not possible to investigate your complaint fully within this period, you will be advised accordingly within that period and informed when you may expect to receive a substantive response.
  3. The Head of Department/Director dealing with your complaint may, during the course of the review, need to refer to and discuss the matter with the person complained of and examine the file, before writing to you before the expiration of the period referred to at item 2 above. If the investigation takes longer, due to either the nature of the complaint or the level of correspondence to read through and any complexities, then you will receive an interim response explaining the position. Before the expiry of 4 weeks from the end of the period referred to at item 2 above, the Head of Department / Director investigating your complaint will provide you with a full response on the outcome of his/her investigation. If it is not possible to provide a substantive response within that period, you will be advised of this and a revised indication of when you may expect such a response. In any event this will not be beyond 8 weeks from the period mentioned in 2 above.
  4. It may be necessary, subject to the needs and the practicalities of the investigation, for the investigator to meet with you to discuss your complaint. That being the case, you will be invited to meet him/her at a mutually convenient time, date and place.
  5. After you have received a substantive response, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will arrange for the Managing Director, Sarah Noton or another Director unconnected with the matter at the firm to review the decision.
  6. We will write to you within 28 days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.
  7. If you are still not satisfied, or your complaint has not been dealt with within 8 weeks of your complaint being received, you can contact:

Legal Ombudsman,
PO Box 6806
Wolverhampton
WVI 9WJ

Any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within six months of the date of our final written response. Your complaint should be sent to the Legal Ombudsman within 6 years from the date of the problem which caused the complaint (or within 3 years of the date when you should reasonably have known about it if it occurred more than 6 years ago).

For further information, you should contact the Legal Ombudsman on 0300 555 0333 or at enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk.

Alternative complaints bodies (such as ProMediate of Brow Farm, Top Road, Frodsham WA6 6SP) exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should you and our firm wish to use such a scheme. If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.

 

What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint

The Legal Ombudsman can help 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 case.

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 the date of our final response to your complaint

and

  • Within six years from the date of the problem that caused your complaint; or
  • Within three years from the date when you should have reasonably known about the problem (if it occurred more than six years previously).

 

Legal Ombudsman contact details

Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

Call: 0300 555 0333

Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

Legal Ombudsman P.O. Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ