Complaints Policy

We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all our clients.  If you have a problem or complaint you need to tell us about it.  This will help to improve our service standards and our service to you.

A complaint is an oral or written expression of dissatisfaction which alleges that the complainant has suffered (or may suffer) financial loss, distress, inconvenience, or detriment.  In dealing with your complaint we will take proper account of your individual needs and deal with it impartially and comprehensively. 

If you have a complaint we would suggest you speak to your fee earner in the first instance, but if you would prefer you can make it by email, in writing or on the phone to Ursula Green: ursula@pdlawyers.co.uk 0152462985, 6-8 Gage Street, Lancaster LA1 1UH.

What will happen next?

1. Once we have received your complaint we will write to you within 7 days to explain how your complaint will be investigated if a complete response to your complaint has not been made by that time. You will be told the latest date by which a complete answer will be given to your complaint (this will not be more than 28 days after we received your complaint). If you have made the complaint verbally – either at a meeting or on the telephone – we will set out in our full response our understanding of the nature of your complaint
2. Within 28 days of your complaint, we will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including our suggestions for resolving the matter. If you have made the complaint verbally, either at a meeting or on the telephone, we will write to you setting out our understanding of the nature of your complaint and our response thereto.
3. The assessment of the complaint will be based upon a sufficient and fair investigation. We will explain in writing our findings and where the complaint is upheld will offer remedial action or redress. This will be actioned promptly.
4. After receiving our written reply to your complaint if you are still not satisfied, you can ask for another Director within the Practice to review the complaint, or you can contact Ursula Green and we will arrange a meeting to further discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. If you require, you can, or we can, arrange for an independent party to attend the meeting to mediate and review the decision.  The review will take place within 28 days of the request.
5. If after following the review process you remain dissatisfied with any aspect of our handling of your complaint, you may contact directly the Legal Ombudsman to ask them to consider the complaint further:

Tel no: 0300 555 0333

Email:enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

Website: http://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/

Legal Ombudsman

PO Box 6167. Slough. SL1 0EH

Unless it agrees there are good reasons not to do so, the Legal Ombudsman will expect you to allow us to consider and respond to your complaint in accordance with the procedure set out above in the first instance. You can refer your complaint up to 6 months after you have received our final written response to your complaint. You can also use the Ombudsman service if we have not resolved your complaint within 8 weeks of us receiving it. A complaint can be referred to the Legal Ombudsman up to one year from the date of the act or omission or up to one year after discovering a problem. The ombudsman deals with service-related complaints; any conduct related complaints will be referred to the Council for Licensed Conveyancers.

From 1^st April 2023 the time limits for referring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman are as follows:

• one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about; or
• one year from the date when the complainant should have realised that there was cause for complaint.

You can also refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman if we have not resolved your complaint within 8 weeks after we received it.  The Legal Ombudsman deals with service-related complaints only; it will refer any conduct related complaint it receives to the Council for Licensed Conveyancers.  The complaint must be raised with the Ombudsman within six months of the date of our final complaint response.

6. Alternative complaints bodies (such as [include one of the following: Ombudsman Services, ProMediate and ADR Group and the website]) exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our firm wish to use such a scheme.
7. Our firm does not agree to use an alternative complaints body
8. 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.)