Complaints Handling
Emmerson Law is committed to providing a high quality legal service to every client. If something does go wrong, we genuinely appreciate you letting us know. This will help us maintain and improve our standards, as well as resolving any complaint that you may have.
Our complaints procedure is as follows.
If you have, or wish to continue with, a complaint then please let me have the full details in writing, or by email to simon@emmersonlaw.co.uk
What will happen next?
- I will send you a letter (or email, if you agree to receive communications by email) acknowledging your complaint within 5 business days of receiving it, enclosing a copy of this procedure. I might ask you to clarify certain details.
- I will then investigate your complaint. I will complete that investigation within 10 business days, but in complex matters I may require more time. In those circumstances, it might take up to 15 business days to complete my investigation. In exceptionally detailed or complex cases, a longer period might be justified.
- Within 5 business days of completing my investigation I will either invite you to a meeting to discuss the matter or send you my detailed written reply. If you do not want a meeting; or if a meeting is not practical, then I will send you a detailed, written reply.
- Any detailed, written reply will include my proposals for resolving the matter.I will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions we have agreed between us within 5 business days of that meeting.
- If we have not been able to agree a resolution between us, you can write to me again and I will review my decision within a further 7 business days.
If we are still unable to resolve your concerns between us, then you may take the matter up with the Legal Ombudsman Service which provides a non-judicial, dispute resolution procedure. They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case.
Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have first tried to resolve your complaint with us directly. 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 either:
- 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:
A: Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
T: 0300 555 0333 between 9am to 5pm.
E: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help you if you are concerned about our conduct. Misconduct could include wrongdoing such as dishonesty; mishandling your money; or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic. You can raise conduct concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority at any time.
Simon Emmerson
Emmerson Law Limited
Reviewed December 2018