Complaints Procedure

Open Law – Complaints Procedure

We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service and at Open Law we want to give you the best possible service to all our clients but recognise that problems can sometimes arise. When that happens, we want to put these right where possible, and to take the opportunity to learn from them so we can improve the quality of our service. If at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service, we have provided then you should inform us immediately, so that we can do our best to resolve the problem.

How do I make a complaint?

You can contact us in writing (by letter or email) or by telephone.

In the first instance, it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your case to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues. If you do not feel able to discuss your concerns with them, please contact the person responsible for the overall supervision of your matter, who will be named in the Engagement Letter we sent you at the beginning of your matter.

If you do not feel able to raise your concerns with either of these people, or you are unsatisfied with their response, please contact Lisa Rowell, Director of Open Law at Lisa@open-law.co.uk  who has overall responsibility for complaints.

To help us to understand your complaint, and in order that we do not miss anything, please tell us:

• your full name and contact details;
• what you think we have got wrong;
• how you would like your complaint to be resolved;
• your file reference number (if you have it); and
• If you require any help in making your complaint we will try to help you.

 How will you deal with my complaint?

We will write to you within seven working days acknowledging your complaint, enclosing a copy of this policy. If the complaint relates to Lisa Rowell then another member of the management team at Open Law will write to you.

We will investigate your complaint. This will usually involve:

• reviewing your complaint;
• reviewing your file(s) and other relevant documents; and
• liaising with the person who dealt with your matter.
• We may also need to ask you for further information or documents. If so, we will ask you to provide the information within a specific period of time.
• We will update you on the progress of your complaint at appropriate times.
• We may also, if appropriate, invite you to a meeting to discuss your complaint. You do not have to attend if you do not wish to or if you are unable to. We will be happy to discuss the matter with you by telephone or video conference.
• We will write to you at the end of our investigation to tell you what we have done and what we propose to do to resolve your complaint. Where possible, we will aim to do this within 21 days of the date of our letter of acknowledgement.
• At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will, if possible, arrange for someone unconnected with the matter within Open Law management team to review the decision.
• We will write to you within 14 days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.
• If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.
• We have eight weeks to consider your complaint. If we have not resolved it within this time you may complain to the Legal Ombudsman.

 What to do 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 matter.

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 one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about; or
• no more than one year from the date when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.

If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them. You can contact the Legal Ombudsman at:

• Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
• Call: 0300 555 0333 between 10.00 to 16.00
• Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
• Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH

 What to do if you are unhappy with 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 its website to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority Solicitors Regulation Authority.

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 Engagement Letter and Terms of Business.

The Legal Ombudsman service is free of charge.