At Holborn Adams, we are committed to providing a professional, efficient, and high-quality legal service to all of our clients. We recognise that, despite our best efforts, concerns or complaints may occasionally arise.
When this happens, we encourage clients to tell us so that we can address any issues promptly, learn from your experience, and continually improve the service we provide.
We treat all complaints seriously and in accordance with our professional obligations under the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Standards and Regulations.
If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the service you have received, we encourage you to raise your concerns with us as soon as possible so that we can work towards resolving the issue fairly and efficiently.
Making a complaint will not affect the way your matter is handled.
In the first instance, we recommend discussing your concerns with the fee earner responsible for your matter, as many issues can often be resolved quickly and informally.
If you would prefer to make a formal complaint, or if the matter has not been resolved informally, please contact our Client Relationship Manager, who oversees complaints handling within the firm.
Complaints may be submitted by email or post and should include:
Please address your complaint to:
David Rayner
Client Relationship Manager
Holborn Adams
125 Old Broad Street
London
EC2N 1AR
Email: [email protected]
We will acknowledge your complaint in writing within seven days of receiving it. Our acknowledgement will confirm who is handling it and may include a copy of this complaints procedure.
Your complaint will be reviewed by our Client Relationship Manager or another appropriate member of the firm who has not been directly involved in the matter wherever possible.
This process may include:
We may contact you for further information if required.
Where appropriate, we may invite you to attend a meeting or participate in a telephone or video conference to discuss your concerns further and explore possible solutions.
If a meeting is arranged, this will normally take place within 14 days of our acknowledgement.
Within three working days of any meeting or discussion, we will write to you to confirm:
If a meeting is not required, or once our investigation has concluded, we will provide you with a detailed written response within 21 days of our acknowledgement wherever possible.
Our response will:
If we are unable to meet this timeframe, we will keep you informed and explain the reasons for any delay.
If you remain dissatisfied with our response, you may request a further review of your complaint. Your complaint will then be referred to our Head of Compliance or another senior member of the firm for an independent internal review.
Following the review, we will write to you within 14 days confirming:
If you are not satisfied with our final response, or if we have not resolved your complaint within eight weeks, you may refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, an independent organisation that investigates complaints about legal service providers.
Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6806
Wolverhampton
WV1 9WJ
Telephone: 0300 555 0333
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
You will usually need to refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within:
Further information is available on the Legal Ombudsman website.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) regulates solicitors and law firms in England and Wales.
If your concerns relate to misconduct, dishonesty, discrimination, misuse of client money, or breaches of professional rules, you may raise your concerns directly with the SRA.
Further information can be found at:
https://www.sra.org.uk
Alternative complaints bodies exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services. However, we do not generally agree to use alternative dispute resolution schemes outside the Legal Ombudsman framework.
We aim to deal with all complaints promptly, fairly, and transparently. If, for any reason, we need to change any of the timescales outlined above, we will inform you as soon as possible and explain the reasons for the delay.