Complaints Policy

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1. We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service.
    

2. We acknowledge that we may not always get it right, so if something has gone wrong, including in relation to our charges, we need you to tell us. This will help us to improve our standards of service.
    

3. How do I make a complaint?

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

   2. In the first instance, it may be helpful to contact the person dealing with your matter, who will do their best to resolve your concerns. 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 client care letter we sent you at the beginning of your matter.

   3. If you do not feel able to raise your concerns with either of these people, or you are unsatisfied with their response, please contact Mr Arj Arul, Director, who has overall responsibility for complaints and whose contact details are: arj@spireslegal.com or write to Complaints, Spires Legal Limited, Oxford House, Parkway Court, John Smith Drive, Oxford Business Park, Oxford OX4 2JY.  If the complaint is about Mr Arul or it is otherwise not appropriate to address your complaint to him, please contact info@spireslegal.com or 01865986328 for further advice.

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

      1. your full name and contact details;

      2. what you think we have got wrong;

      3. how you would like your complaint to be resolved; and

      4. your file reference number (if you have it).

   5. If you require any help in making your complaint we will try to help you.
       

4. How will you deal with my complaint?

   1. We will write to you within five working days acknowledging your complaint, enclosing a copy of this policy.

   2. We will investigate your complaint. This will usually involve:

      1. reviewing your complaint;

      2. reviewing your file(s) and other relevant documents; and

      3. liaising with the person who dealt with your matter.

   3. 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.

   4. We will update you on the progress of your complaint at appropriate times.

   5. 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.

   6. 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.

   7. There may be circumstances where your complaint will be referred to a solicitor at another firm to investigate and/or determine.This may be appropriate, for example, if it could not be fairly and independently dealt with internally.
       

5. What if I am not satisfied with the outcome?

   1. If you are unhappy with the outcome of our complaints handling procedure, please let us know and we will review the matter.

   2. If we have not resolved your complaint within 8 weeks, you may be able to complain to the Legal Ombudsman. 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).

   3. The Legal Ombudsman’s contact details are:

      1. by post at PO Box 6167, Slough SL1 0EH;

      2. by telephone: 0300 555 0333;

      3. by email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk; or

      4. website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

   4. Normally, a complainant can use the Legal Ombudsman if:

      a) the complaint has not been resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction within eight weeks of being made to the authorised person; or
       

      b) 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
       

      c) where an ombudsman considers that in-house resolution is not possible due to irretrievable breakdown in the relationship between an authorised person and the person making the complaint.
       

      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.
       

      a) This time limit applies only if the authorised person’s written response to a complaint 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;
       

      b) 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

      Ordinarily, the complainant must refer the complaint to the Legal Ombudsman no later than: - one year from the act/omission; or Legal Ombudsman Scheme Rules 11 - one year from when the complainant should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.

      a) where a complaint is referred by a personal representative or beneficiary of the estate of a person who, before they died, had not referred the complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, the period runs from when the deceased should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint; and
       

      b) when the complainant (or the deceased) should reasonably have known there was a cause for complaint will be assessed on the basis of the complainant’s (or the deceased’s) own knowledge, disregarding what the complainant (or the deceased) might have been told if they had sought advice. . Further details are available on the website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk.

   5. 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.They can be contacted at The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham, B1 1RN, telephone number: 0370 606 255. Further details are available on the website: www.sra.org.uk.

   6. Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) bodies exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our firm wish to use such a scheme, e.g. . We are willing to enter into an ADR process, subject to your agreement.

   7. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, and it relates to a contract we entered into online or by other electronic means, you may also be able to submit your complaint to an approved alternative dispute resolution provider in the UK via the EU ‘ODR platform’.

      1. The ODR platform is an interactive website offering a single point of entry for disputes between consumers and traders relating to online contracts. The ODR platform is available to consumer clients only, ie where you have instructed us for purposes outside your trade, business, craft or profession.

      2. The website address for the ODR platform is: http://ec.europa.eu/odr.
          

6. What will it cost?

   1. We will not charge you for handling your complaint.

   2. 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. You may have additional rights to challenge our bills separate to our complaints procedure.This is explained in our Terms and Conditions.

   3. The Legal Ombudsman service is free of charge.

   4. The ODR platform itself is free to use, but the ADR entity to which the complaint is transmitted may charge for its service. The ADR entity is responsible for informing all parties of the cost of its dispute resolution procedure.