Complaints Procedure.

Bhogal Partners Solicitors

Complaints Handling Policy

We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all our clients. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to improve our standards.

If you have a complaint, please contact us with the details. We have eight weeks to consider your complaint and if we have not resolved it within this time you may complain to the Legal Ombudsman.

What will happen next?

1. Any complaint must be made in writing whether by letter or email and addressed to the Principal Partner Mr K.S Bhogal.
2. We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within seven days of receiving it (save for exceptional circumstances) enclosing a copy of this procedure.
3. We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to our client care partner Mr K.S Bhogal, who will review your matter and file, and will request a response from the fee earner within 14 days (save for exceptional circumstances) who will submit a written reply together with relevant documentation or the file as appropriate, within that time frame.
4. The senior partner will respond in writing to the letter of complaint within 28 days of receipt setting out the conclusions and any action necessary.
5. The client is then asked to respond within 14 days of receipt of this letter, confirming that he/she is satisfied or otherwise. If no response is received the matter will be deemed to have been concluded.
6. If the client remains unsatisfied, he/she should advise the senior partner who will arrange a suitable appointment to meet with the client and discuss the reasons why the client remains dissatisfied.
7. The senior partner will write within 14 days of the meeting to summarise the issues still in dispute and the firm’s approach to these issues. This will, unless otherwise communicated, conclude the firm’s internal complaints procedure.
8. The client must be advised in the final letter that, if for any reason the client nevertheless remains unhappy, he/she has a right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ or by email to enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk or telephone 0300 555 0333.

Normally, you will need to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving a final written response from us about your complaint, or within six years of the act or omission about which you are complaining (or if outside of this period, within three years of when you should reasonably have been aware of it). For further information, you should contact the Legal Ombudsman on 0300 555 0333 or at enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk.

You may also raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority at www.sra.org.uk

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can assist if you are concerned about our firm’s behaviour, and this can include; dishonesty, taking or losing client money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristics.

Please note that the Ombudsman are there to deal with concerns about the level of service received.  Where there are more serious concerns that a solicitor or solicitor’s firm have been involved in professional misconduct then reports can also be made to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the regulator of solicitors and solicitor firms. This could be for quite unusual and serious acts of misconduct such as dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic. Obviously, we do not anticipate any such problems arising and would ask that you notify the matter supervisor straight away if you have any such concerns.  You can find out more about the Solicitors Regulation Authority including their contact details and professional conduct rules on their website: https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor/