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Our complaints policy

Harrison’ Thames Valley Solicitors LLP is 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 concern or a complaint that has not been dealt with to your satisfaction by the person handling your case or their supervising partner, please contact us as soon as you are aware of the problem so this can be addressed. 

What will happen next?

  1. We will send you an email acknowledging receipt of your complaint within five days of our receiving the complaint, enclosing a copy of this procedure.
  2. We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to our client care member, Ashley Harrison, who will review your matter file and speak to the member of staff who acted for you.
  3. Ashley Harrison will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including his suggestions for resolving the matter, within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
  4. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again to explain why you remain unhappy with our response and we will review your comments. Depending on the matter we may at this stage arrange for another member to review the decision.
  5. 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.
  6. If you are still not satisfied, you can then contact the Legal Ombudsman about your complaint using the details below.

Legal Ombudsman

When complaints can be referred to the Legal Ombudsman

After complaining to the authorised person

  1. Ordinarily, a complainant cannot use the Legal Ombudsman unless the complainant has first used the authorised person’s complaints procedure 

Time limit from authorised person’s final response

  1. But a complainant can use the Legal Ombudsman if:
  2. The complaint has not been resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction within eight weeks of being made to the authorised person; or
  3. An ombudsman considers that there are exceptional reasons to consider the complaint sooner or without it having been made first to the authorised person; or
  4. Where an ombudsman considers that in-house resolution is not possible due to an irretrievable breakdown in the relationship between an authorised person and the person making the complaint.
  5. For example, an ombudsman may decide that the Legal Ombudsman should consider the complaint where the authorised person has refused to consider it, or where delay would harm the complainant.
  6. a) This time limit applies only if the authorised person’s written response to a complaint is included prominently:
  • An explanation that the Legal Ombudsman was available if the complainant remained dissatisfied;
  • Full contact details for the Legal Ombudsman; and
  • A warning that the complaint must be referred to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of the date of the written response;
  1. c) If (but only if) the conditions in (a) are satisfied, a complainant must ordinarily refer the complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of the date of that written response.

Time limit from act/omission

Once you have made a complaint to your service provider, they have up to eight weeks to respond to you. If you aren’t happy with their final response, or they haven’t responded within the eight weeks, you can then ask us to look at it.

Generally, you can ask us to look at your complaint  if you are referring your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within either:

  • One year of the problem happening; or
  • One year from when you found out about it

You need to bring your complaint to us within six months of your service provider’s final response. If your complaint does not meet these time limits we may not be able to investigate it.

A final response is when the service provider has nothing further to say and tells you that if you are still unhappy you can contact the Legal Ombudsman.

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

Contact details

Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9.00 to 17.00.

Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

Legal Ombudsman, Edward House, Quay Place, Birmingham B1 2RA

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