Client Complaint Procedure

We very much regret any circumstances which may lead to a client (or anybody else deemed to have a reasonable expectation of receiving legal services from us) having reason to complain about the services provided on their behalf by the firm.  However, we do recognise that from time-to-time complaints are necessary and we are committed to attempting to resolve such complaints as quickly and efficiently as possible.

This procedure sets out the steps that we would like you to take to bring the complaint to our attention and the action that we will take to respond to the complaint.

The Procedure

How do I make a complaint?

Although not essential in making your complaint, it would be helpful if you could provide details of your concerns in writing (if you have not already done so). 

To help us to understand your complaint, and in order that we do not miss anything, please tell us:

• your full name and contact details
• what you think we have got wrong
• what you hope to achieve as a result of your complaint, and
• your file reference number (if you have it)

If you require any help in making your complaint we will try to help you.

Your complaint should be addressed to Mrs Natalie Thomas who is the Firm’s Risk and Compliance Partner.  Mrs Thomas and her colleague, Miss Claire Hill, Partner are responsible for the handling of client complaints and will retain overall responsibility.  Mrs Thomas and Miss Hill work at the Firm’s Lincoln office at Sibthorp House, 351-355 High Street, Lincoln, LN5 7BN.

The steps set out below will usually be undertaken by Mrs Thomas or Miss Hill however, may be undertaken by another person in the Firm as appointed by Mrs Thomas, if appropriate.

How will you deal with my complaint?

We will record your complaint centrally.

We will write to you within three working days acknowledging your complaint and enclosing a copy of this Policy.

We will investigate your complaint. This will usually involve:

• reviewing your complaint
• reviewing your file(s) and other relevant documents, and
• speaking with the person who dealt with your matter

We may also need to ask you for further information or documents. If so, we will ask you to provide the information within a specific period of time.

We will update you on the progress of your complaint at appropriate times.

We may also, if appropriate, invite you to a meeting to discuss your complaint. You do not need to attend if you do not wish to or if you are unable to. We will be happy to discuss the matter with you on the telephone.

We will write to you at the end of our investigation to tell you what we have done and what we propose to do to resolve your complaint. We have a period of 8 weeks in which to provide a formal response to your complaint.

What if I am not satisfied with the outcome?

If you are unhappy with the outcome of our complaints handling procedure, please first let us know and we will review the matter.

If you are still unhappy you can ask the Legal Ombudsman to look into your complaint. You can contact the Legal Ombudsman:

• by post at PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
• by telephone: 0300 555 0333, or
• by email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

You must refer your concerns to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final written response to you. The Legal Ombudsman expects complaints to be made to them within one year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned or within one year of you realising there was a concern. Further details are available on the website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk.

What will it cost?

We will not charge you for handling your complaint.

Please note that if we have issued a bill for work done on the matter, and all or some of the bill is not paid, we may be entitled to charge interest on the amount outstanding.

The Legal Ombudsman service is free of charge.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority

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.

Further information is available at:

https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor/

Download our Client Complaint Procedure

Data Protection Complaints Handling Procedure

This Procedure does not apply to data protection complaints brought by clients of the firm. Any such complaints will be dealt with in accordance with our Client Complaints Procedure.

We very much regret any circumstances which may lead to an individual having reason to complain about the way in which we have dealt with their personal data. However, we do recognise that from time to time complaints are necessary and we are committed to attempting to resolve such complaints as quickly and efficiently as possible.

This procedure sets out the steps that we would like you to take to bring the complaint to our attention and the action that we will take to respond to the complaint.

The Procedure

How do I make a complaint?

You can contact us to make a data protection complaint using any of the following methods.

How to complain

By completing our data protection complaint form : The form can be completed online here, or we can post a copy to you, which you can then either return to us by email at the below email address, or by post at the below postal address.

Using the data protection complaint form is entirely optional and you may prefer to complain to us using one of the other methods set out below.

By telephoning us : You can telephone Sean Gordon on 01522 518888.

By emailing us : You can email us with details of your data protection complaint at syg@bmcf.co.uk

By writing to us : You can write to us with details of your date protection complaint at 351-355 High Street, Lincoln, LN5 7BN (marked for the attention of Mr Sean Gordon)

How will you deal with my complaint?

We will record your data protection complaint centrally.

We are legally required to acknowledge your data protection complaint within a period of 30 days of when the complaint is received by us. When acknowledging your complaint, we will enclose a copy of this Policy.

We will take reasonable steps to verify the identity of the person making the data protection complaint.

This may involve requesting further information or documentation from you. If the complaint is made on behalf of someone else, we will also need to check that the person making the complaint is properly authorised to do so.

If, having requested additional information, we are not in a position to identify the person making the complaint or we are not satisfied that they have proper authority to make the complaint, we may be unable to deal with it.

Otherwise, we will investigate your data protection complaint. This will usually involve:

• reviewing your complaint
• reviewing relevant documents or files, and
• speaking with the person(s) who dealt with your personal data

We may also need to ask you for further information or documents. If so, we will ask you to provide the information within a specific period of time.

We will update you on the progress of your complaint at appropriate times.

We will write to you at the end of our investigation, and without undue delay, to tell you what we have done and what we propose to do to resolve your data protection complaint.

What if I am not satisfied with the outcome?

If you are unhappy with the outcome of your data protection complaint, please first let us know and our Data Protection Officer (Mrs Natalie Thomas – Risk and Compliance Partner) will review the matter further.

If you are still unhappy you can complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office which regulates and enforces data protection law in the UK. Details of how to do this can be found at www.ico.org.uk.

What will it cost?

We will not charge you for handling your complaint.

The UK Information Commissioner’s Office complaints service is free of charge.

Download our Data Protection Complaints Procedure.

Solicitors owe their professional duties to their clients, and are not generally required to investigate or respond to complaints from individuals or organisations who are not clients.

Our Client Complaints Procedure is therefore available only to our current or previous clients, and others to (or for) whom we have provided legal services.

We are also required to deal with complaints from clients and non-clients about how we have handled personal data.  These are dealt with under our Data Protection Complaints Procedure.

However, we will consider complaints from non-clients where they relate to potential professional conduct issues, particularly where these raise potential breaches of our regulatory obligations under the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Standards and Regulations. If your concern falls into this category, please contact us at nat@bmcf.co.uk , and we will review the matter in accordance with our legal and regulatory responsibilities.