ABACUS SOLICITORS LLP – COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

Our complaints policy

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 will help us to improve our standards.

Our complaints procedure

If you have a complaint, please contact Gareth Jones, our Client Care Partner at Reedham House, 31-33 King Street West, Manchester, M3 2PN or g.jones@abacus-law.co.uk.

What will happen next?

1. We will send you a written communication acknowledging your complaint and asking you to confirm or explain any additional details that may be needed. We will also let you know the name of the person who will be dealing with your complaint.  You can expect to receive our acknowledgment within 3 days of us receiving your complaint.

2. We will, as soon as we receive your complaint, record it in our central register and open a file for your complaint. We will then start to investigate your complaint.  This will normally involve our Client Care Partner discussing the matter with any persons involved in the complaint and examining all relevant files.

3. We would hope to be in a position to send a full written response to your complaint no longer than 6 weeks after first receiving your complaint.

4. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, please let us know. We will then arrange a review of our decision. In the event of you requesting a review then this will either involve the Client Care Partner reviewing their position or asking another partner to consider your complaint.

5. We would generally aim to review and let you have any further response within 14 days of your request. At this time we will write to you, confirming our final position on your complaint and explain our reasons.  If you are still not satisfied, you can contact the Legal Ombudsman at PO Box 165870 Birmingham, B30 9EB.  Telephone 0300 555 0333 between the hours of 8:30 and 5:30.  E-mail: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk website address: www.legalombudsman.org.uk about your complaint.  We very much hope that this will not be necessary.

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

7. In certain circumstances you may wish to make a complaint to the SRA regarding your solicitors conduct. This is usually if our conduct does not meet the rules of the SRA in relation to our behaviour for example, telling lies, taking money from you or other regulatory breaches.    You can find out how to report a firm to the SRA at the following web page https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor/ or by contacting the SRA at The Cube 199 Wharfside Street Birmingham B1 1RN DX 720293 BIRMINGHAM 47 or by telephone on 0370 606 2555