We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service and to dealing with all our clients fairly.
We acknowledge that we may not always get it right so if something has gone wrong, including in relation to the bill, we need you to tell us.
How do I make a complaint?
- You can contact us in writing (by letter or email) or by speaking with Gillian Rushford or James McCarville on 01908 612 366 or mail@rmllp.co.uk or by post to Rushford & McCarville, Brewery House, 84 High Street, Newport Pagnell, MK16 8AQ.
- If you would prefer, or we consider it is appropriate, complaints may be handled by our Consultant Solicitor, Brent Hill – bhill@rmllp.co.uk or via the above telephone number.
- 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
- what you hope to achieve as a result of your complaint, and
- your file reference number (if you have it)
- If you require any help in making your complaint we will try to help you.
How will you deal with my complaint?
We will record your complaint centrally.
We will write to you within 3 working days acknowledging your complaint, enclosing a copy of this policy.
We will investigate your complaint. This will usually involve:
- reviewing your complaint
- reviewing your file(s) and other relevant documents, and
- speaking 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 on the telephone.
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 28 days of the date of our letter of acknowledgement, however, we have 8 weeks to consider your complaint.
What if I am not satisfied with the outcome?
If you are unhappy with the outcome of our complaints handling procedure please first let us know and we will review the matter. If you are still unhappy or we have not resolved your complaint in the time frame specified above you can ask the Legal Ombudsman to look into your complaint.
You can contact the Legal Ombudsman:
- by post at Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
- by telephone: 0300 555 0333, or
- by email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk 4.3
This applies if you are an individual, a business with fewer than 10 employees and turnover or assets not exceeding a certain threshold, a charity or trust with a net income of less than £1m, or if you fall within certain other categories (you can find out more from the Legal Ombudsman).
The Legal Ombudsman 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 act/omission being complained about; or
- no more than one year from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.
The Legal Ombudsman investigates complaints about the service you receive for example:
- Communication you have received from us
- The costs you are being asked to pay
- The time taken for the work to be done
Alternative complaints bodies exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our firm wish to use such a scheme. We have, however, chosen not to adopt an Alternative Dispute Resolution process.
If, therefore, you wish to complain further, you should contact the Legal Ombudsman.
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.
The Legal Ombudsman service is free of charge.
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.