Issues & Complaints
We aim to deal with any complaints promptly, fairly, openly and effectively.
Our definition of a complaint is:
“any written or verbal expression of dissatisfaction referred to any person in our organisation by a client."
A complaint can be identified through a letter, telephone call, e-mail, and fax or in the course of a face to face conversation.
A complaint may involve:
- Dissatisfaction with the handling of a case;
- Disappointment with an alleged lack of communication;
- Frustration with an alleged lack of case progress;
- An allegation of discrimination; or
- Dissatisfaction with the outcome of the case.
However, issues of a very minor nature, for example, not returning a non-urgent telephone call until the following day will not be recorded as a complaint.
It is the policy of the firm that:
- Every complaint made by a client is reported and recorded centrally;
- Every complaint received is responded to appropriately;
- The cause of the problem is identified, appropriate redress is offered, and
- Unsatisfactory procedures are corrected.
We are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). We are committed to high quality legal advice and client care and aim to offer all our clients an efficient and effective service. However, if our clients would like to discuss how the service to them could be improved, the level of their bill, or should there be any aspect of our service with which they are not satisfied, we ask them to please contact the person in our firm responsible for complaints handling: Mr Nadeem Ullah, Director on 0161 8359933 and nadeem@abbeysolicitors.co.uk or by post to Abbey Solicitors Ltd, 1 Christie Way, Manchester, M21 7QY.
If your complaint is in relation to the conduct of our Complaints Handling Representative, we will make alternative arrangements for the investigation and handling of your complaint.
We are committed to high quality legal advice and client care and are keen to resolve any concerns as soon as possible and in order to do this, will follow our complaints handling procedure.
We will endeavour to handle your complaint promptly, fairly and free of charge.
Our complaints procedure is as follows:
Legal Ombudsman
We are permitted a period of eight weeks to consider the complaint. If for any reason we are unable to resolve the problem between us within that timeframe, then our clients are advised that they may ask the Legal Ombudsman to consider the complaint.
Clients are free to refer any complaint about our work, fees or level of service but there are some conditions and time limits. Please be aware that any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within six months of the client having received a final written response from us about their complaint. Complaints to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within one year of the act or omission about which the client is complaining occurring or from when the client should have known about or become aware that there were grounds for complaint.
For further information, please contact the Legal Ombudsman on 0300 555 0333 or visit www.legalombudsman.org.uk. The Legal Ombudsman may be contacted at PO Box 6167, Slough SL1 0EH.
Solicitors Regulation Authority
If someone thinks a solicitor might be dishonest or you have concerns about their ethics or integrity, they have the right to notify our regulator, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). There are no time limits for making a report but there are limits on what the SRA will consider. Please note that the SRA is not able to deal with issues of poor service (complaints of this nature should instead be referred to the Legal Ombudsman). For further information about the SRA’s role, please contact the SRA on 0370 606 2555 or visit: SRA | Reporting a solicitor or firm to us | Solicitors Regulation Authority
Further Information
For further information about our complaints handling procedures, please do not hesitate to contact Nadeem Ullah on 0161 8359933 and email Nadeem@abbeysolicitors.co.uk or by post to Abbey Solicitors Ltd, 1 Christie Way, Manchester, M21 7QY.
Magistrates/ Crown Court
Where Nadeem Ullah identifies a potential negligence claim or where a client, claims financial loss, compensation or threatens legal action, the case must in conjunction with our insurers, decide whether we should continue with this complaints procedure or adopt some other course of action.
We inform clients if we discover any act or omission which could give rise to a claim by them against us but before doing so fee earners must refer any such cases to their supervisor for advice. If the supervisor agrees that the circumstances of the case could give rise to a claim then the case must be referred immediately to Nadeem Ullah who will decide, in conjunction with our insurers, what information should be provided to the client.
Nadeem Ullah will offer the client, appropriate redress and recommend amendments to unsatisfactory procedures where appropriate.
Any complaints made where Nadeem Ullah had conduct of the matter are referred to Rebecca Frost.
Nadeem Ullah keeps details of all complaints received in a central record. Copies of any documents/correspondence showing how each complaint is resolved are also retained on the central record.
As sole Director Nadeem Ullah has overall responsibility for handling complaints and carries out an analysis of the central record of complaints annually. Following this review, he decides whether any action can be taken to improve our services. The results of the review (i.e. any trends identified and action proposed) are documented.
Nadeem Ullah is responsible for the operation of this procedure. He will review it annually to verify that it is an effective operation.
What will it cost?
- We will not charge you for handling your complaint.
- Please note that if we have issued a bill for work done on the matter, and all or some of the bill is not paid, we may be entitled to charge interest on the amount outstanding. This is explained in our Client Care letter and Terms of Business.
- The Legal Ombudsman service is free of charge.