Complaints Policy

Our objectives

Our aim is that all our clients are satisfied all the time.

If you are unhappy about the service you have received, which you are unable to resolve with the person working for you, or their named supervisor, then please contact us.

We acknowledge that it may not always be possible to achieve our aim, and we welcome genuine complaints because:

• a dissatisfied client who complains gives us the opportunity for that client to become a satisfied client; and
• a complaint may draw our attention to individuals and/or procedures in our business, which have fallen short of the standards we expect and therefore enable us to improve our service in the future.

Your complaint will be dealt with promptly, positively and objectively. We do not charge a fee for considering complaints.

Our complaints procedure

Our complaints partner is Caroline Gibbs. You can contact Caroline:

• by post at The Captain’s House, Central Avenue, Pembroke, Chatham, Maritime, Kent ME4 4UF; or
• by e-mail at caroline.gibbs@dgblaw.co.uk.

It is helpful if you put your concerns in writing, but if you would prefer not to, or if you would find it difficult to do so, Caroline can be contacted by telephone on 01634 304 000.

If you have special needs, which we should consider due to language or disability, please let us know.

To explain how long it might take to investigate your complaint, below are our targets for each stage of the process. Where, for any reason, we believe it is not possible to achieve any target, we will explain why.

We will:

• acknowledge your complaint in writing and send you a copy of our complaints policy within 2 working days;
• if applicable, invite you to a meeting or to discuss your complaint by telephone within 5 working days of receiving it;
• investigate your complaint within 14 working days of receiving it;
• write to you about, or invite you to a meeting to discuss, the outcome of your complaint within 21 working days of receiving it. We will explain, with reasons, if we consider your complaint is justified. If we consider your complaint justified, we will explain to you how we propose to resolve it. This will include an apology and may include an offer of compensation. Any offer of compensation will be without prejudice and shall not in any circumstances or to any extent constitute acceptance of any liability by us;
• consider your complaint resolved if you: (a) accept how we have determined it; or (b) do not object to how we have determined your complaint within 21 working days of receiving it; and
• review and close your complaint within 56 days of receiving it.

We maintain a complaints register.

Legal Ombudsman

If you do not agree with how we have determined your complaint, or we fail to investigate it within 8 weeks, then you can have the complaint independently considered by the Legal Ombudsman.

The Legal Ombudsman investigates complaints about service issues with lawyers.

They expect complaints to be made to them within one year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned or within one year of you realising there was a concern. You must also refer your concerns to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response to you.

The Legal Ombudsman’s contact details are:

• Telephone: 0300 5550333
• Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
• Post: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough SL1 0EH
• Website: legalombudsman.org.uk

The Legal Ombudsman has discretion to extend the one year time limit for specific clients if, on the evidence, it is fair and reasonable to do so.

The Legal Ombudsman service cannot be used by businesses or most other organisations, unless they are below certain size limits. Further details are available from the Legal Ombudsman’s website.

For more information on the Legal Ombudsman’s rules and requirements, please see their LeO Rules.

Alternative dispute resolution

Alternative complaints bodies listed on the Chartered Institute for Trading Standards website exist, which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and we wish to use such a scheme. We do not agree with using any of these alternative complaints bodies. Instead, you can contact the Legal Ombudsman.

Solicitors Regulation Authority

Alternatively you can contact the Solicitors Regulation Authority if you have concerns as to whether we have breached any of their professional rules for solicitors or 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.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s contact details are:

Post: The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham B1 1RN

Email: contactcentre@sra.org.uk.

Telephone: 0370 606 2555

Website: www.sra.org.uk

Complaining about our bill

You have the right to complain about our bill. If you are unhappy with it, please contact:

• The person working for you;
• Their supervisor (who is mentioned in the letter of engagement we sent to you); or
• Our complaints partner, Caroline Gibbs. Please call 01634 304 000 or email: caroline.gibbs@dgblaw.co.uk

You may have the right to have our bill reviewed by the court. The procedure is set out in part III of the Solicitors Act 1974.

You must pay our bill on receipt of it. If you do not, we may charge you interest (at the rate allowed on court judgements) on all or any part of our bill that you have not paid 1-month after the date of it.

We will keep all your papers and documents until our bill is paid in full.