Complaints
Complaints Handling Procedure
We are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). We are committed to providing you with the highest quality legal advice and client care. We are known for our clear, ‘jargon-free’ communication and for ensuring we remain in regular contact with our clients throughout the legal process.
However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service we are providing, we encourage you to let us know immediately, so that we can do our best to resolve the issue.
In the first instance, it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your case to discuss your concerns, however, if you would rather speak to someone else, we ask you to kindly contact the person responsible in our firm for complaints handling, who is, Mary Tmaira, Managing Partner, on 01582 481430 or mary.tmaira@alexandersolicitors.co.uk or by post to The Town House, 3 Park Terrace, Manor Road, Luton LU1 3HN. If you would like to make a formal complaint, then please see below our Complaint handling procedure which Mary Tmaira will oversee. Please be assured that making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case.
Step one:
If you have not already advised us in writing, please let us know the nature of your complaint, including specific details, in order that the issue is fully understood and can be properly investigated. If you are unable to do this for any reason, please get in touch and let us know. Written complaints should be sent to Mary Tmaira at mary.tmaira@alexandersolicitors.co.uk or by post to The Town House, 3 Park Terrace, Manor Road, Luton LU1 3HN.
Step Two:
We will formally acknowledge receipt of your letter or email within 3 working days. At this stage, if required, we may ask for further information from you to assist us in our investigation.
Step Three:
We will investigate your complaint by speaking with the member/s of staff who acted for you and also by reviewing your file in line with the issues raised in your complaint letter.
Step Four:
You will receive a full response addressing your complaint in writing and ideally within fourteen working days of sending our acknowledgement letter.
Step Five:
In addition, and if appropriate, we may also invite you to come and meet a Partner or Senior Manager to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint in person. The appointment would be arranged at a mutually convenient time.
Step Six:
Within three working days of any such meeting, we shall write to you to confirm the discussion which took place and any solution that was agreed.
Step Seven:
If you are satisfied with the response the matter will be considered as resolved. However, if you are still not satisfied with the outcome, you can contact us again, confirming this to be the case. We will then review the decision, or, depending on the circumstances, arrange for another Partner or Senior Manager to review your case and the decision reached. We aim to do this within ten working days of receiving any further correspondence from you.
Step Eight
We shall let you know the result of the review within five working days of the end of the review. At this stage, we shall write to you confirming our final position regarding your complaint and explain the reasons for our conclusion.
On rare occasions, we may have to change/extend the time scales quoted above. If this is necessary, we will contact you and let you know together with an explanation as to why.
Legal Ombudsman
If, having followed the above process, we are unable to resolve the problem between us, you may ask the Legal Ombudsman to consider the complaint.
You have the option to refer any complaint about our work, fees or service but there are specific conditions and time limits which it is important to note. Any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within six months of you having received a final written response from us about your complaint. Complaints to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within one year of the act or omission about which you are complaining occurring; or within one year from when you should have known about or become aware that there were grounds for complaint.
For further information, please contact The Legal Ombudsman on 0300 555 0333 or visit www.legalombudsman.org.uk. The Legal Ombudsman may be contacted at PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH.
Solicitors Regulation Authority
If you think a solicitor might be dishonest or you have concerns about their ethics or integrity, you also have the right to notify our regulator, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). There are no time limits for making a report but there are limits on what the SRA will consider. Please note that the SRA do not deal with issues of poor service (complaints of this nature should be referred to the Legal Ombudsman). For further information about the SRA’s role please contact the SRA or visit https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor.page#report relating to Motoring Offences, including those involving death, therefore you can be assured that you are in safe hands.