Complaints Procedure
Have you got a complaint against Heyman & Co?
We hope that you will never have a reason to complain about our service. However, is something does go wrong, please bring it to our attention as soon as you can. We will then try to resolve the mater fairly and quickly. We will apologise if need be and do our best to offer a practical solution. The firm's complaint partner is Karen Baker who is responsible for this procedure.
A preliminary point
The relationship with your lawyer is built on trust and openness. You should be able to talk to your lawyer frankly about all of things so that some complaints (and these are likely to be minor issues) might lend themselves to be resolved by a simple phone call to your lawyer. However, if you are not comfortable speaking to your lawyer about the problem, then speak to either Michael Caplin or Karen Baker.
How do I complain?
We much prefer that substantial or complicated complaints are dealt with in writing. We do not have any set forms that we use for this purpose. However, we realise that not all clients may be able to formulate a detailed letter. In such cases, a telephone call will do during which we will make a note of the issues and then send that to you for comments. This document will then form the basis of the complaint.
Who do I complain to?
Our system is that, wherever possible, complaints are resolved within the department handling your case. You should look at the "Client Care" letter that you were sent at the start of your case. It will name the person in the firm to whom you should address your complaint. In the first instance this will be the person dealing with your matter.
What will happen next?
To explain to you how long our process might take we have included our target times for each stage of the process. Where, for any reason, it is not possible to observe any of these limits we will let you know and explain why.
Actions | Timescales |
|---|---|
Review and close the complaint | Within 8 weeks of receiving the complaint |
If a meeting/telephone discussion is not possible or required: Investigate the issues and write to you with the outcome | Within 21 days |
Investigate the issues | Within 14 days of receiving the complaint |
Confirm the outcome of the meeting or telephone conversation in writing - if appropriate | Within three working days of the meeting/telephone conversation |
Invite you to a meeting or to discuss the issues by telephone - if deemed necessary | Within two working days |
Acknowledge the complaint in writing and send a copy of the complaints procedure | Within two working days |
Legal Ombudsman
If you do not agree with the outcome of our complaints process, or we fail to investigate it within 8 weeks, you can then complain to the Legal Ombudsman. Complaints to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within six months of our final response to your complaint.
The Legal Ombudsman can investigate complaints for up to six years from the date a problem occurred or within three years from when you found out about the problem. The address is PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ, telephone 0300 555 0333 or email enquiries@legalombudsman.co.uk
The Solicitors Regulation Authority
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) can help you if you are concerned about our behaviour and that it may be in breach of the SRA's Code of Conduct. You can find information on how and when to raise a concern with the SRA on their website https://www.sra.org.uk/