Churchgates is committed to high quality legal advice and client care. However, if you are unhappy about any aspect of the service you have received, or about our bill, you should first raise this with the fee earner with conduct of your matter and if necessary then refer the matter to Matthew Boardman by email ([email protected]) or by post to our office.
We have a procedure in place which details how we handle complaints which can be made available to you if you wish to see a copy. We have eight weeks to consider your complaint. In most cases, we trust that this complaint handling process should resolve any issue you may have.
However, if you are still dissatisfied with our handling of your complaint, you may complain to the Legal Ombudsman at Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough SL1 0EH. More information is available online at www.legalombudsman.org.uk, by email at [email protected], or by telephone on 0300 555 0333.
Normally, you will need to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving a final written response from us about your complaint or within six years of the act or omission about which you are complaining (or if outside of this period, within three years of when you should reasonably have been aware of it).
If any disagreement relates to the level of our fees, you can ask us to provide a detailed assessment of our costs. Alternatively, you can apply to the court for a detailed assessment of your bill under Part 3 of the Solicitors’ Act 1974. You may have to pay for the costs of the court assessment.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) can help you if you are concerned about our behaviour and that it may be in breach of the SRA’s Code of Conduct. You can find information on how and when to raise a concern with the SRA on the SRA website.