- What is our complaints policy?
Chubb Bulleid are committed to providing high quality legal service to our Clients. We aim to deal with any complaints against the firm and its staff in a fast, positive, open-minded and fair manner. We try to learn from all complaints made to the firm and in that way improve the service we give our Clients.
- What is a complaint?
We consider a complaint to be an oral or written expression of dissatisfaction alleging that a complainant has suffered or may suffer financial loss, distress, inconvenience or other detriment.
- Who deals with complaints?
Those dealing with your work have been instructed to direct any complaint immediately to the Director in the firm dealing with complaints, namely Richard Cussell. He can be reached at our office at 7 Market Place, Wells, Somerset BA5 2RJ, telephone 01749 836108, fax 01749 676300. His email address is richard_cussell@chubb-bulleid.co.uk.
Should he be away from the office or otherwise unable to deal with the complaint then it will be dealt with by Carla Jones who is based at our office at Strode House, 10 Leigh Road, Street, Somerset BA16 0HA. Her direct e-mail address is carla_jones@chubb-bulleid.co.uk and her telephone number is 01458 844101.
- How do you record my complaint?
Richard will record your complaint in a central register and designate a separate file of papers for your complaint within a day of receiving it.
- Will I be charged for the work done to resolve my complaint?
You will not be charged for any of the work undertaken by this firm in order to resolve your complaint. We will deal with your complaint free of charge.
- How will my complaint be investigated?
As soon as Richard receives a complaint, he will send a letter acknowledging it and, if necessary, may ask you to clarify some details. He will give you a copy of this complaints procedure and you can expect to receive this letter within two working days of our receipt of the complaint. Richard will thoroughly review the complaint, look at the file and speak or meet with all members of staff he considers will help him understand what has happened. At the end of his review, he will send you a thorough written synopsis of the complaint and his suggested solutions for resolving it. If you would like a face-to-face meeting to discuss your complaint and his response, then please be in touch to make a time for a meeting. Within two working days of the meeting Richard will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions that have been agreed with you. You can also respond to Richard’s communication by email or telephone with a view to trying to resolve the issues you have complained about. We aim to resolve all complaints as soon as possible and in any event within the 8 weeks maximum period allowed by the Legal Ombudsman. If we do not do so, you may take the matter to the Legal Ombudsman. As well as dealing with your complaint, Richard will always have in mind which of our procedures can be altered to ensure similar complaints do not arise in the future.
- Is there further action open to me if I am still dissatisfied?
Whilst we hope that we will be able to resolve any problems with our complaints handling procedure, it may be that we exhaust all possible ways of resolving the issues within the firm, in which case you may be able to ask the Legal Ombudsman to consider your complaint. The Legal Ombudsman is an independent organisation which handles complaints against solicitors. The Legal Ombudsman service is open to all members of the public and very small businesses, charities, clubs and trusts. For more information on their complaints procedure, including who may use their service and the time periods for involving them, please visit their website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk.:
If you wish to contact the Ombudsman directly, their contact details are:-
The Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough SL1 0EH
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk or at
Telephone: 0300 555 0333
The Legal Ombudsman deals with all aspects of poor service, such as:-
- delayed or unclear communication
- problems with your fees
- loss of documents.
Matters of professional misconduct are handled by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (please see below).
Please note that the Legal Ombudsman’s timescales for bringing complaints to the Ombudsman changed on 1st April 2023. A complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must be made:
- Within six months of receiving our final response to your complaint and
- No more than one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about; or
- No more than one year from the date when you should reasonably have known that there was cause for complaint.
If you are concerned about meeting this deadline please call the Legal Ombudsman on 0300 555 0333.
- Complaints About Professional Misconduct
If you believe an employee of this firm has breached an SRA Principle you may report the matter to the SRA. The SRA does not have the power to award compensation for poor service, or to reduce or refund your legal fees.
Types of misconduct the SRA typically investigate include:-
- Dishonesty or fraud
- Misuse of client money
- Sexual or violent misconduct
- Conduct relating to serious criminal offences
- Misleading the court or others (for example, about what has been done on a case or about the evidence)
- Taking unfair advantage of you or others (For example, a solicitor persuades someone who doesn’t have a legal adviser to sign an unfair settlement agreement, letting them think that it is in their interests and that they don’t need independent legal advice.)
- Discriminating against you or others
- Serious concerns about the solvency of a firm (i.e. employees have not been paid)
- Failing to act in the best of interests of a client, including the firm/solicitor acting for another client whose interests conflict or putting their own interests first
- Failing to take steps needed to safeguard against money laundering
- Seriously reckless or incompetent behaviour or a pattern of behaviour that puts you (as a client), your money or your case at risk
More information on when a report to the SRA is appropriate and how to make a report may be found at the SRA website.
- Are there other complaints processes I should be aware of?
You may also have a right under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974 to ask the Court to assess whether the charges in our bill are reasonable.
Alternative complaints bodies (such as Promediate) exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and this firm which to use such a scheme.
