EBERY WILLIAMS LIMITED COMPLAINTS AND PROCEDURE
Complaints Policy
Ebery Williams Limited (“Ebery Williams”) is committed to providing a high quality legal service to its clients. When something goes wrong, it is necessary for a client to tell the firm about it. This will help the firm to improve its standards. The firm’s aim is to handle complaints promptly, fairly and effectively. To do this, it is necessary to have a written complaints procedure. Any complaints will be handled in accordance with the procedure.
The Complaints Procedure
If there is any concern or cause for complaint, which is not satisfactorily dealt with by the person dealing with the client’s matter, please contact Richard Bedford, the Complaints Officer of Ebery Williams at Bridge House, High Street, Congresbury, North Somerset, BS49 5JA. Telephone number: 01934 313533. Email: richard.bedford@eberywilliams.com .
Preliminary Steps
Ebery Williams will acknowledge receipt of a client’s complaint within three working days, setting out how the firm proposes to investigate the complaint and the period within which the client can expect to hear. That period will not exceed 21 working days.
Ebery Williams will record a client’s complaint in its central register and open a file for the complaint.
Investigation of the Complaint
Richard Bedford will arrange for the investigation of the complaint. The person carrying out the investigation will write to the client within the period referred to above and provide a detailed reply to the complaint and suggestions as to how matters may be resolved. If a client is then satisfied with the proposals, they will be implemented.
Conduct of the investigation or review
A client’s complaint will be handled by finding out from the client the nature and full details of the complaint. All relevant papers will be obtained and considered in relation to the complaint. If the client and/or Ebery Williams Limited consider that it will be helpful in dealing with the complaint to have a meeting, that will be arranged. If the firm needs to take any other steps to investigate or review the complaint, or to have a change in relation to any of the timescales for dealing with the investigation of the complaint, the firm will let the client know and explain why.
Review of the investigation and/or proposed solutions
If a client is not satisfied with the reply from Ebery Williams in respect of a complaint or the proposals for resolving a complaint, the client may contact Richard Bedford and he will arrange for the matter to be reviewed and provide a timetable for such review: ordinarily the review period would be 21 days. Ebery Williams will let a client know the result of a review within 2 working days after the end of the review. At that point Ebery Williams Limited will write to a client confirming its final position in respect of a complaint and explaining its reasons.
Legal Ombudsman
If a client is not satisfied with the review of a complaint, the client may contact the Legal Ombudsman at:
PO Box 6806
Wolverhampton
WV1 9WJ
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk.
Telephone: 0300 555 0333
Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:
- Within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint and
- No more than six years from the date of act/omission; or
- No more than three years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.
If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them.
Normally a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman should be made within six months of receiving the final response from Ebery Williams.
What to do if you are unhappy with our behaviour
The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help 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.
Visit their website to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Ebery Williams Limited
April 2020