Client Complaints Policy

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

1.  Complaints procedure

If you have a complaint, contact us with the details.  If it is possible to do so by letter that is most helpful.

Our letter setting out our terms and conditions of business invites you to take the complaint up with the person who is handling the file first.

If you have not done that, then we invite you to consider doing that now.

If you have done that and the complaint has not been resolved, or if you would prefer not to do that then please contact Julia Wright of David Barney & Company our Client Care partner.  Mrs Wright deals with complaints about all types of work

2. What will happen next?

• Within 3 working days of receiving notice of your complaint we will send you a letter acknowledging your complaint and a copy of this procedure.
• A complaint about Julia Wright will be dealt with by Beverly Davison.

3.  The Complaints file

We will record your complaint in our central register and open a separate file for your complaint.

4.  Investigation

• Within 5 working days of receiving your complaint we will start to investigate it.  This will normally involve the following steps.

• Julia Wright will ask the member of staff/partner who acted for you to respond to your complaint within 5 working days.

• Julia Wright will then consider the reply and the file relating to the matter you are complaining about.  She may also speak to the member of staff/partner concerned and or contact you to seek further information.  This will take up to 5 working days from receiving the reply and the file.

• Julia Wright will then either write to you setting out her detailed reply to your complaint which will include her suggestions for resolving the matter or invite you to meet her and discuss and hopefully resolve your compliant.

• If there is a meeting Julia Wright will write to you within 5 working days of the meeting setting out the matters discussed and any proposals put forward.

5.  Review

• At this stage, if you remain unsatisfied you can write Julia Wright again asking for a review of her decision.  We ask that you do so within 10 working days of receiving the written response to the complaint.

• Julia Wright will then arrange for a review of her decision by another partner.  The reviewing partner’s decision will be sent to you within 10 working days of your request for a review being received.

• If you remain dissatisfied after receiving the reviewing partner’s decision then you may decide to refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman at the address provided.  Any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within six months of the date of our final written decision on your complaint and within one year of the act or omissions of which complaint is made or one years from when you should have known about the complaint.

• If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.

• 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.

Contact Details

Julia Wright
David Barney & Company
Stevendale House
Primett Road
Stevenage
Hertfordshire
SG1 3EE

Tel: 01438 314281

Email: juliawright@davidbarney.co.uk

The address of the Legal Ombudsman is

The Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6167
Slough
SL1 0EH 

Tel: 0300 555 0333

Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk