Complaints Procedure
We are committed to providing high quality legal advice and client care.
However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service provided, please inform us immediately so that we can do our best to resolve the problem.
In the first instance, it may be helpful to contact the person who is handling your matter. If you still have queries or concerns, please contact Monika Hill at the postal address 13 High Street, Dorking, Surrey RH4 1AR or monika@mhlegalservices.co.uk to whom any final issues can be reported.
Formal complaint procedure
The following outlines our recommended procedure for making a formal complaint. Please note that making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case.
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A formal complaint should be addressed to our head of practice who can be contacted in writing at 13 High Street, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1AR or by email . Please set out the details of the complaint.
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We will acknowledge your complaint within seven working days of receipt.
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Our head of practice will show your complaint to the person responsible for your matter and ask them to conduct a complete review of the file and to respond in writing. They will also interview any members of staff involved in your matter.
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You will receive a written response to your complaint within 14 days from the date the complaint is first received. This response will set out the result of our investigation, any proposed resolution and, if relevant, any procedural changes we will make to ensure the situation does not arise again.
Taking the complaint further
We are regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers and complaints and redress mechanisms are provided through them and the Legal Ombudsman.
If we are unable to resolve any such concerns to your satisfaction you are entitled to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman at www.legalombudsman.org.uk or P.O. Box 6806 Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ.
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 may consider complaints made after these deadlines if it is fair and reasonable for them to do so. They may decide not to pursue a complaint if:
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there was no significant loss, distress, inconvenience, or detriment;
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the size or complexity of the complaint, or your behaviour, results in the complaint requiring a disproportionate use of resources;
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there has been undue delay in bringing the complaint;
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you have already accepted a reasonable offer we made.
Complaints about a client’s rights under the General Data Protection Regulation must be submitted to the Information Commissioner’s Office at www.ico.org.uk.
Any disputes or legal issues arising from our Client Care and Terms of Business will be determined by the law of England and Wales and considered exclusively by the English and Welsh courts.
If you make a valid claim against us for a loss arising out of work for which we are legally responsible, and we are unable to meet our liability in full, you may be entitled to claim from the Compensation Fund administered by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (from whom details can be obtained.