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

 

Our complaints procedure:

If you have a complaint, contact us with the details. Please set out your complaint in full in writing and send it to the person who is handling your matter at the address below.

 

What will happen next?

  1. 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 7 days of our receiving your complaint.
  2. We will record your complaint in our central register and open a separate file for your complaint. We will do this within a day of receiving your complaint.
  3. We will then start to investigate your complaint. This will normally involve the following steps:
  • We will pass your complaint to Mr Edward S Hryniewiecki, our relevant Client Care partner, within 7 days.
  • He will ask the member or members of staff who acted for you to reply to your comments within 21 days.
  • He will then examine his, her or their reply or replies and the information in your complaint file, and, if necessary, he may also speak to him, her or them. This will take up to 7 days from receiving the reply and the file.
  1. Mr Edward S Hryniewiecki will then invite you to a meeting, at a time convenient to you, to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. He will do this within 7 days.
  2. Within 7 days of the meeting Mr Edward S Hryniewiecki will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions he has agreed with you.

If you do not want a meeting or it is not possible, Mr Edward S Hryniewiecki will send you a detailed reply to your complaint. This will include his suggestions for resolving the matter. He will do this within 14 days of completing the investigation.

  1. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied you should contact us again. We will then arrange to review our decision. This will happen in the following way.
  • Another partner of the firm will review Mr Edward S Hryniewiecki’s decision within 14 days.
  • We will let you know the result of the review within 7 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.
  1. If you are still not satisfied after receiving our final response you can contact

the Legal Ombudsman who will independently consider your complaint. (NB the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us following our complaints procedure before investigating your complaint).

 

To make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:

You can visit the Legal Ombudsman website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

Or write to: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough SL1 0EH

Telephone: 0300 555 0333

Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

 

 

Time limits in which to complain to the Legal Ombudsman. 

A complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must be made:

  • Within six months of receiving our 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 that there was cause for complaint

 

To make a complaint to the Solicitors Regulation Authority:

Edwards Solicitors are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA number 290391). The SRA deals with reports of breaches of the SRA Principles such as dishonesty, ethics and discrimination (NB the SRA are not able to deal with issues of poor service, such complaints are dealt with by the Legal Ombudsman).

You can find out more about the SRA’s Principles or raise your concerns by

visiting the SRA website at: www.sra.org.uk

Or write to: Solicitors Regulation Authority, The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham B1 1RN.

 

Please note, if we have to change any of the timescales, we will let you know and explain why.

 

Our contact details: Granary Chambers, 37-39 Burton Street, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire LE13 1AF Tel: 01664 566606 Fax: 01664 566603

Email: esh1@edwards-solicitors.com