Complaints Handling

I hope you do not have any reason to make a complaint about my service; however, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service, I have provided then I would encourage you to inform me immediately, so that I can do my best to resolve the problem.

In the first instance it may be helpful to contact me to discuss your concerns and I will do my best to resolve any issues. You can contact me at enquiries@haworthfamilylaw.co.uk

The complaints procedure is as follows:

Step One:

If you have not already done so, please let me know the full nature of the problem.

Step Two:

I will write to you acknowledging your complaint within five working days. In this letter, I shall confirm what happens next.

Step Three:

I shall then investigate the matter by reviewing your complaint within ten working days of acknowledging receipt of the complaint. If, for some reason, the matter cannot be investigated in this timeframe, then I will write to you to let you know why and provide a revised timescale.

Once the investigation has been completed, I shall invite you to a meeting to discuss the issues you have raised and hopefully resolve the complaint. This could be a meeting, video conference call or telephone call and your preference will be taken into account along as well as how best the matter may be dealt with. This process of engagement will take place within ten working days of concluding the investigation of the matter. Following the meeting or call, I will write to you within five working days of the meeting or call to confirm the discussion and the solution agreed upon.

If you do not want to or are unable to attend such a meeting or engage in a discussion (or the meeting or call is not necessary), I will be happy to send you a detailed, written response, including the proposed solution, within fifteen working days of concluding the investigation of the matter.

Step Four:

Legal Ombudsman

I am permitted a period of eight weeks to consider the complaint. If for any reason I am unable to resolve the problem between us within that timeframe, then clients are advised that they may ask the Legal Ombudsman to consider the complaint.

Clients are free to refer any complaint about our work or level of service but there are some conditions and time limits. Please be aware that any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within six months of the client having received a final written response from me about their complaint. Complaints to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within one year of the act or omission about which the client is complaining occurring or from when the client should have known about or become aware that there were grounds for complaint.

For further information, please contact the Legal Ombudsman.

Solicitors Regulation Authority

If someone thinks a solicitor might be dishonest or they have concerns about their ethics or integrity, they have the right to notify our regulator, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). There are no time limits for making a report but there are limits on what the SRA will consider. Please note that the SRA is not able to deal with issues of poor service (complaints of this nature should instead be referred to the Legal Ombudsman).