We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all clients. When something goes wrong, we need our clients to tell us about it. This will help improve our standards.
Whenever possible, please raise any initial client care problems with the person acting on your case to give them the opportunity of resolving matters with you. Often, matters can be quickly resolved in this way.
If you are unhappy about any aspect of the service you have received, or about the bill, please contact Miss Riffat Hussain by email at Riffat@ibsa-legal.co.uk, or by post on IBSA Legal, Langham House 146-148 Westgate, Wakefield WF2 9SR.
we have a procedure in place which details how we handle complaints as follows:
What will happen next?
- We will send you a letter acknowledging your complaint and asking you to confirm or explain the details set out. We will also let you know the name of the person who will be dealing with your complaint. You can expect to receive our letter within fifteen working days of us receiving your complaint.
- We will record the complaint in our central register and open a separate file for the complaint. We will do this within fifteen working days of receiving complaint.
- We will acknowledge any reply to our acknowledgement letter and confirm what will happen next. You can expect to hear from us within fifteen working days of that reply.
- We will then start to investigate your complaint. This will normally involve the following steps:
- The Client Care Manager will ask the member of staff who acted for you to in the matter to reply the complaint within fifteen working days.
- They will then examine their reply and the information in the complaint file. If necessary, they may also speak to them. This will take up to fifteen working days from receiving their reply and the file.
- The Client Care Manager will then invite you to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve the complaint. They will do this within fifteen working days.
- Within fifteen working days of the meeting, the Client Care Manager will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions they have agreed with you.
- If you do not want a meeting, or it is not possible, we will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint. This will include our suggestions for resolving the matter. We will do this within fifteen working days of completing the investigation.
- At this stage, if you are still not satisfied you can contact us again. We will then arrange to review our decision. This will involve reviewing the initial decision within fifteen working days.
- We will let you know the result of the review within fifteen working days of the end of the review. At this time we will write to you confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.
- If you are still not satisfied with our handling of your complaint you can ask the Legal Ombudsman to consider the complaint. Contact details as follows:
Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806,
Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ
Tel: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Web: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Normally you will need to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within the following timescales:
- Six years from the date of the act or omission about which you are complaining occurring, or
- Three years from the date you should reasonably have known there were grounds for complaint (if the act/omission took place before date……… or was more than six years ago), and
- Within six months of receiving a final written response from us about your complaint.
In relation to a) and b) the act/omission, of when the complainant should reasonably known there was cause for complaint must have been after date….. .
Please note that in certain circumstances e.g. where the case is complex or where the fee earner is absent from work, the timescale outlined above may have reviewed. If this is the case then we will propose a revised timetable to you.
The complaints procedure also includes complaints arising concerning our bill. There may also be a right to object to the bill by applying to the court for an assessment of the bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974; and that if all, or part, of a bill remains unpaid, the firm may be entitled to charge interest.