Our Commitment

We are committed to providing a high quality legal service. If at any stage you are unhappy with the service you have received, or have any concerns about your matter, we encourage you to raise these with us as soon as possible so that we can address the issue promptly and avoid matters escalating unnecessarily.

We are always keen to resolve concerns constructively and will do our best to deal with any issue quickly, fairly and with the minimum disruption to your matter. We take complaints seriously and view them as an opportunity to review and improve our service.

Raising a Concern (Informal Resolution)

In the first instance, we suggest that you raise any concern with the person dealing with your matter. In many cases, issues arise from misunderstandings or matters which can be clarified quickly and informally.

If you feel unable to raise the matter with the fee earner handling your case, you may contact

Practice Manager:
Simon Wright
Barnes and Partners
90 Silver Street, Enfield, EN1 3EP
Email: s.wright@barnesandpartners.com
Tel: 0208 370 2800

We will seek to resolve concerns promptly and informally wherever possible.

Formal Complaint

If you indicate that you wish to make a formal complaint, or if the matter cannot be resolved informally, the issue will be dealt with under our formal complaints procedure.

Formal complaints should be directed to Simon Wright at the above address.

Once your complaint has been formalised:

• We will acknowledge your complaint, usually within 5 working days
• We may ask you for further information to ensure we fully understand your concerns
• We will record your complaint and commence a formal investigation

Our investigation will normally involve reviewing your file and discussing the matter with the fee earner involved.

Investigation and Response

We will investigate your complaint carefully and aim to resolve matters as quickly as possible.

Where appropriate, we may:

• respond to your complaint in writing, or
• invite you to a meeting or call to discuss the matter further

Following any meeting, we will confirm the outcome in writing.

We aim to provide a full written response to your complaint within eight weeks of receiving it. This response will set out our findings and our final position.

Final Response

Once we have completed our investigation, we will issue a written response which will constitute our final response.

If you remain dissatisfied with our final response, or if eight weeks have passed since you first made your complaint, you may refer the matter to the Legal Ombudsman.

The Legal Ombudsman can help resolve complaints about legal services. You may contact them as follows:

Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6167
Slough
SL1 0EH
Tel: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

Normally you must refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving our final written response.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority regulates solicitors and law firms in England and Wales. If you are concerned about our behaviour, for example dishonesty, misuse of client money or unfair treatment, you may raise your concerns directly with the SRA.

Further information can be found at www.sra.org.uk.

If your complaint relates to our fees, you may also have the right to apply to the court for an assessment of our bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974.

Please note that if you apply to the court for assessment of a bill, the Legal Ombudsman may decline to consider a complaint about that bill.

Raising a concern or complaint does not automatically suspend or delay payment of invoices. We will investigate any concerns fairly and promptly, however invoices remain payable in accordance with our agreed terms unless otherwise agreed in writing.

Conveyancing transactions involve a number of third parties, including lenders, managing agents, search providers, local authorities and other solicitors. Progress is therefore often dependent upon factors outside our direct control.

While we will take all reasonable steps to progress your matter efficiently and keep you informed, we cannot guarantee specific timescales for exchange or completion until all necessary information has been received and all parties are ready to proceed.