Dale & Co. aims to provide the highest standard of legal service. We recognise however, that we may not always achieve this aim and want to know about any problems so that we can try to put them right. Accordingly, we value feedback. We will consider any Complaint carefully endeavouring to reach a satisfactory conclusion.
WHO SHOULD I COMPLAIN TO?
If you wish to Complain (about our service or charges) please contact us in writing with the heading “Complaint”.
We can deal with it by informal discussion or in writing.
You can contact our Complaints Partner (details below) or the Solicitor who handled your matter.
WHAT WILL DALE & CO. DO?
We will acknowledge a Complaint and set out a suggested timetable for our response and aim to Respond to you fully within a month of receiving your Complaint.
If you are not satisfied with the response, the Complaint can be escalated to the firm's Complaints Partner who will:
(a) Review your Complaint; or
(b) ask another partner to Review the Complaint; or
(c) ask a solicitor from another firm to Review the Complaint
Your Complaint will be looked at promptly, fairly, and free of charge.
We aim to provide a Final Response within a month of the Complaint being escalated.
WHAT ARE MY LEGAL RIGHTS?
Nothing in this procedure takes precedence over or replaces any right that you have to bring a Complaint that you may have against the firm.
OUR COMPLAINTS PARTNER CAN BE CONTACTED AT:
rdale@dale-law.co.uk or in writing to Richard Dale, 11 Beaumont Fee, Lincoln, LN1 1UH.
If your Complaint remains unresolved, you may have the right to refer your Complaint to the Legal Ombudsman - an independent organisation which deals with complaints about solicitors and other legal professionals.
Full details are available from its website www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Postal address is: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH.
Further information can be found here: How To Complain | Legal Ombudsman
A Complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must be made:
- within six months of receiving our final response to your complaint and
- no more than one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about; or
- no more than one year from the date when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint
If your Complaint relates to fees, you may be entitled to have them reviewed by the court by applying for an assessment of the bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. If you delay beyond a month the court may impose conditions. Once a year has elapsed since the date of the bill you will lose the right to a detailed assessment unless there are special circumstances. Alternatively, if you consider that we have breached a regulatory obligation, you may refer the matter directly to the SRA here: https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor
Postal address: Solicitors Regulation Authority, The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham, B1 1RN.
Dale & Co. has not adopted a specific ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) process, so if you have any concerns about the service you receive you should contact the firm’s Complaints Partner in the first instance.
Last Updated: Wednesday 26th June 2024
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