We are committed to providing high quality professional legal services to all our clients. However, we recognise that there may be occasions where you have concerns regarding our services.
If you have any complaint about the service provided by us or wish to complain about the bill, please, in the first instance, contact the fee earner who is handling your matter or the Head of the relevant Department whose details were given in the client care letter. The complaint will then be investigated and reported back to you as soon as possible.
If the issue is unable to be resolved within the department, the matter should be referred to Robert Seaton, Senior Partner and Head of Compliance and Risk Management, who will investigate the complaint in accordance with this Procedure. You should provide him with full details of your complaint and copies of any relevant documents.
You can write to him at:-
Harrowells LLP Solicitors
1 St Saviourgate
YORK
YO1 8ZQ
or e-mail him at:-
complaints@harrowells.co.uk
or telephone him on:-
01904 558600
What Will Happen Next?
1 Within three working days of receiving your complaint, Mr Seaton will write to you by way of acknowledgement, your complaint will be recorded in our central register and allocated a reference number.
2 Your complaint will be referred to the appropriate member of the Firm with a request for a report to be provided. Mr Seaton will discuss the report with the member of the Firm and independently review your file following the meeting with the member of the Firm concerned.
3 Mr Seaton will write to you with the Firm’s decision upon the complaint within twenty-one days of receipt of your complaint or your clarification of any issues which may assist him in reaching his decision, whichever shall be the later. If that is not possible, he will inform you why that is the case and by when a response will be delivered.
4 If you remain dissatisfied and communicate that in writing together with your reasons:-
a) Mr Seaton will review his own decision and write to you within five working days with the Firm’s final decision; or
b) We will discuss with you any other form of conciliation or mediation which may be agreeable to both of us.
5 Should you still remain dissatisfied following an investigation of the matter under this Procedure or feel that the matter cannot be dealt with internally, then a complaint may be made to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of the last contact that you have from this Firm (ie within six months of receiving the letter from the Firm in response to your complaint).
The Legal Ombudsman must receive details of any complaint that you wish to raise with them within twelve months of any act/omission or within twelve months of when you reasonably knew or ought to have known of the act or omission that has given you cause to complain. Further information (including an explanation of the time limits) may be obtained by you from the Legal Ombudsman at any time. The Legal Ombudsman can be contacted at PO Box 15870, Birmingham B30 9EB or on 0300 555 0333 or via their website www.legalombudsman.org.uk. (Please note that only copies of documents should be sent to the Legal Ombudsman’s office to avoid any original documentation being lost or destroyed.)
6 If you have any complaint about insurance matters, you have a right to complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service, although the complaint should be made (as above) to us first. The Financial Ombudsman Service can be contacted on 0300 123 9 123 or 0800 0 234 567 or by email to complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk
