Complaints Policy

John Welch and Stammers is committed to high quality legal advice and client care.

If you are unhappy about any aspect of the service you receive, including the firm’s bill, you are entitled to complain. This firm has a complaints procedure (which is outlined below), however please raise your concerns with the person dealing with your matter in the first instance. If that does not resolve the problem or you would prefer not to speak to that person then please contact this firm’s client care partner who is Bernadette Summers by telephone on, 01993 703941, by post at this office or via email at bsummers@johnwelchandstammers.co.uk.

All solicitors must be given the opportunity to attempt to resolve problems that may arise with their services. It is therefore important that you immediately raise any concerns you may have with us. We value our clients and would not wish to think you have reason to be unhappy with us.

If you are still not satisfied, you can then contact the Legal Ombudsman:

• by letter at: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
•  by telephone at: callers from UK: 0300 555 0333 / callers from overseas: +44 121 245 3050 by email at: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

The Legal Ombudsman may be prepared to investigate your complaint if you satisfy the relevant criteria. You must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:

• within six months of receiving a final response from us to your complaint;
• and no more than one year from the date of act/omission; or
• no more than one year from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority 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. For more details visit https://www.sra.org.uk and https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor page.

If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.
With regards to your 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.

Our Complaints Handling Procedure

Our complaints procedure

We are committed to providing an efficient and reliable 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 concern or a complaint, please contact us as soon as you are aware of the problem so this can be addressed.

What will happen next?

1. We will send you a letter acknowledging your complaint within five days of our receiving the complaint, enclosing a copy of this procedure.
   
   
2. We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to our client care partner, Bernadette Summers, who will review your matter file and speak to the member of staff who acted for you. If Bernadette Summers is the fee earner you are making the complaint against your file will be passed to Russell Jinks to deal with.
   
   
3. Having considered matters, Bernadette will then invite you to a meeting to discuss and it is hoped, resolve your complaint. She will do this within 14 days of sending you the acknowledgment letter.
   
   
4. Within three days of the meeting, Bernadette will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions she has agreed with you.
   
   
5. If you do not want a meeting, or it is not possible, Bernadette will send you a detailed reply to your complaint. This will include her suggestions for resolving the matter. She will do this within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgment letter.
   
   
6. If at this stage, you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again to explain why you remain unhappy with our response and we will review your comments. Depending on the matter we may at this stage arrange for another partner to review the decision.
   
   
7. 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.
   
   
8. If you are still not satisfied with our handling of your complaint, you can contact:
   
   Legal Ombudsman
   PO Box 6167
   Slough SL1 0EH
   
   about your complaint. Any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within six months of the date of our final written response on your complaint and no more than and no more than one year from the date of act/omission; or no more than one year from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint. but for further information you should contact the Legal Ombudsman on 0300 555 0333 or at enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.