Making a complaint to TLT
We seek to provide you with a high quality service in a way that gives you confidence and satisfaction. This complaints guidance is for the benefit of all clients, or people who have client status.
If however you have concerns at any stage about the way we have undertaken work on your behalf, we should be grateful if you would please raise those concerns as soon as possible with the lawyer concerned. If you do not feel able to discuss the matter with him or her, then please contact the team manager for the team in which that lawyer works. The team manager will acknowledge your complaint in writing and give you a time scale for responding to your complaint, adapting the following procedure to suit the circumstances. The team manager will either deal with the matter him or herself or ask another senior lawyer to do so, if that is more appropriate.
Most complaints that we receive are resolved in this way.
In the event that you feel unable to speak with the team manager, or are not satisfied with the response, you should write to our Risk Director John Verry.
Although not essential, it would be helpful to us if you could provide details of your concerns in writing (if you have not already done so). If you would prefer to speak to someone first please contact John Verry and either he or another senior lawyer will contact you to take details from you.
This note gives some guidance about what will happen next together with a guide timetable.
1 We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint, set out our understanding of it, and request any necessary clarification. Within 3 working days of receipt of your complaint.
2 We will consider who is best placed to deal with the matter and write to give you details. Within 7 days of receipt of your complaint or of any clarification.
3 We will commence investigating your complaint. This will normally be carried out by our Risk Director who will review your file and speak to the member of staff who acted for you. A partner not involved in the work may be nominated by the Risk Director to investigate and report back to you. If this is the case, we will tell you who.
4 You may be invited to meet us to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. Within 14 days of receipt of your complaint or clarification.
5 If a meeting is impractical or we agree not to meet, we will write to you with a detailed response to your complaint and with any suggestions we have for resolving it to our mutual satisfaction. Within 14 days of sending our acknowledgement of your complaint.
6 If a meeting takes place we will still write to you to confirm what took place and any agreed solution that was arrived at. Within 3 days of the meeting.
7 If you are still not satisfied you should contact us again and we will arrange for the decision to be reviewed by the senior partner. We will give you details of the process for the appeal and the timescale.
8 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. Within 14 days of your request for a review.
If your complaint has not been resolved to your satisfaction within 8 weeks, you can contact the Legal Ombudsman. Any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within six years of the date of the matter about which you wish to complain or within three years of the date you should have discovered the complaint. It may be that the Legal Ombudsman is unable to deal with your complaint. If in doubt you should contact the Legal Ombudsman on 0300 555 0333 or by email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org or by writing to the Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ or visit their website www.legalombudsman.org
If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why. We wish to respond as flexibly as we can in order to resolve complaints to our mutual satisfaction. We may therefore depart from the procedure above if we feel that the complaint requires it. We will however keep you informed throughout the process.
TLT does not charge for work done in responding to a complaint under this procedure.
This procedure does not apply to cases where you consider that we have been negligent or any other situation where we have a professional obligation to refer you to other solicitors. We will advise you if this is the case.
Complaints should be sent to:
John Verry
Risk Director
TLT Solicitors
One Redcliff Street
Bristol
BS1 6TP