COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

LILLYWHITE WILLIAMS & CO

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

OUR COMPLAINTS POLICY

If you have a complaint, contact us with the details.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?

      1. We will send you a letter acknowledging your complaint

         within one week of receipt.  Normally this will come from

         our Complaints Manager, Mr Andrew Williams who may ask you

         to explain parts of your complaint or provide more

         information. 

      2. We will record your complaint in our central register and

         open a separate file for your complaint.  We will do this

         within seven days of receiving your complaint.

      3. You can expect to hear from us within three weeks of your

         initial complaint or any further clarification/information

         requested.  During that period Mr Williams will make every

         attempt to fully investigate your complaint including               (where appropriate)speaking to the member of staff                 concerned and examining (where appropriate) your file.             Also Mr Williams may invite you to a meeting to discuss             your complaint as part of his investigation.

      4. Where appropriate, when writing to you with his findings,

         Mr Williams will make every effort to suggest ways of

         resolving your complaint.  He will also invite you to               have a meeting with him if you are not satisfied with his

         letter.  Alternatively, you may wish to respond to Mr

         Williams’ letter and to request him to review his

         decision.  Mr Williams will then reply within a further

         two weeks.

      5. If we have to change any of the timescales above for

         justifiable reasons we will let you know and explain why.

      6. If at the end of our Complaints Procedure you are still

         dissatisfied, you have the right to make a complaint about

         us to the Solicitors Regulation Authority in respect of

         any conduct issue, or the Legal Ombudsman in respect of

         any service issue. A complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must

         be made within 6 months of receiving our final response to

         your complaint and no more than 1 year from the date of

         the act or omission being complained about or no more than

         1 year from the date when you should reasonably have known

         that there was cause for complaint.

      7. The address of the Solicitors Regulation Authority is 199

         Wharfside Street, Birmingham B1 1RN.

      8. The address of the Legal Ombudsman is PO Box 6167, Slough

         SL1 0EH.