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 helps us to improve our standards. If you are unhappy with any aspect of our service or about your bill, please let us know — we take all complaints seriously and will do our best to put things right.
Last reviewed: [MONTH YEAR] · Wimbledon Solicitors · SRA No. 490744
If you have a concern or complaint, please contact us as soon as you are aware of the problem so we can address it quickly. You can raise your complaint in whichever way is easiest for you — by telephone, email, letter, or in person at either of our offices.
Our complaints process follows clear stages with defined timescales so you always know where things stand.
We will send you a written or email acknowledgement of your complaint, confirming who will be handling it and how to contact them. We may ask you to confirm or explain any details.
The complaints handler will review your matter file and speak to the member of staff who acted for you. Where appropriate, we may invite you to a meeting (in person, by telephone, or video call) to discuss your concerns and work towards a resolution.
We will write to you with the outcome of our investigation, including our findings, any proposed resolution, and the reasons for our decision. If we need longer than 8 weeks for any reason, we will explain why and tell you when you can expect a full response.
If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or you are unhappy with our final response, you have the right to refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman. Full details are set out below.
The Legal Ombudsman is an independent body that deals with complaints about the service provided by legal professionals. If you are not satisfied with the way we have handled your complaint, or with our final response, you can ask the Legal Ombudsman to consider it.
You must also allow us up to 8 weeks to resolve your complaint before referring it to the Legal Ombudsman. The Ombudsman has discretion to extend the one-year time limit where it considers it fair and reasonable to do so.
The Legal Ombudsman deals with complaints about service. Concerns about a solicitor's professional conduct or behaviour — for example dishonesty, taking or losing your money, or treating you unfairly because of your age, disability or other characteristic — should be reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
The SRA is the body that regulates solicitors in England and Wales. You can raise your concerns at any time with the SRA — you do not need to wait for our complaints process to finish.
Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) bodies exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our firm wish to use such a scheme. We have chosen the Legal Ombudsman as our route for resolving complaints that cannot be settled directly. If for any reason we are unable to resolve your complaint through our own procedure, we will confirm whether we agree to use an alternative scheme at that time.
If your complaint relates to a bill, you also have the right to apply to the court for an assessment of the bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. Please note that if all or part of a bill remains unpaid, we may be entitled to charge interest. If you have concerns about your bill, please raise them with us first using the process above, and we will do our best to resolve them.
If something hasn't gone as it should, please tell us — we want to help.
Contact our complaints handler