Complaints Procedure

We always endeavour to give our clients the best possible service, but we know sometimes things can go wrong. Our complaints procedure offers you advice on how you can proceed if you are unhappy or concerned about our service.

We aim to deal with all complaints fairly, promptly and effectively.
If at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service, we have provided then you should inform us immediately, and not wait until the end of your case, 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 working on your case, or their supervisor to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues.

If you would like to make a formal complaint, then you can read our full complaints procedure below. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case.

Complaints Procedure

If you have a complaint about the way the firm has conducted your case, our charges or about the way you have been treated by a member of our staff and wish to make a formal complaint you can do so by contacting our Managing Director and Complaints Handler Ross Pinkney. You can do this by email to:

Ross@johnonions.com

Or by letter to 1st Floor, Agriculture House, 1 Newbold Terrace, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV32 4EA. If the complaint is about Ross Pinkney, you can contact Charlotte de Rosnay, Solicitor Director at charlotte@johnonions.com, by post or telephone on 01926 886007.

Once you have contacted us and given us details of the issue, we record the complaint in a central record and investigate promptly and fairly. We will then review your complaint and inform you of our findings.

We will endeavour to resolve any complaint within three weeks but if it is not resolved within eight weeks of receiving a complaint, you can refer it to the Legal Ombudsmen. Further information provided below.

Our COLP (Compliance Officer for Legal Practice) has overall responsibility for the operation of this procedure and they perform an annual review of all complaints to verify the procedure is working effectively, and to consider any changes required to our complaints handling procedure.

If We Cannot Resolve Your Complaint

The Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves. They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case.

Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:

• Within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint, and
• No more than six years from the date of act/omission; or
• No more than three years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.

If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them.

Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9.00 to 17.00.

Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ

What To Do If You Are Unhappy About Our Behaviour

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.

Visit their website to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Further help

If you require further assistance, please contact the Professional Ethics helpline.