Complaints Procedure
We are committed to providing the best possible service to our clients. If however you are unhappy or concerned with any aspect of our work, please let us know immediately so we can offer you the best solution and improve our services.
We request that you first raise your concerns with the person responsible for your case, as they will be familiar with your matter and able to resolve most issues quickly and effectively.
If the issue is not resolved to your satisfaction, or you do not feel it is appropriate to raise it with a person handling your case, please make a formal written complaint following the procedure below. Please be assured that this will not affect how we handle your case.
Making a Complaint
If the person handling your case is not able to resolve your issue, please make a formal written complaint to Ms Sabrina Bailey, Managing Partner. If your concerns involve Ms Bailey, you can make a formal complaint to Ms Louise Allard, joint Managing Partner.
What Will Happen Next?
Within 3 working days of the Firm receiving your formal written complaint, we will open an investigation and record it in our central register. You will be sent a letter acknowledging your complaint, in which we will notify you of who will be investigating your concerns.
We will start to investigate your complaint and send you a detailed reply within 3 months. The investigation will normally involve Ms Bailey examining your file and speaking with the persons within the Firm who acted for you. We may require the person responsible for your matter to prepare a written report, which will be reviewed and investigated as well. We may also request further information from you.
If you would prefer to have a meeting to discuss your complaint, please request this in writing and we will contact you to arrange a meeting within 3 working days of the request being received. If you have not requested a meeting but Ms Bailey believes it would be more constructive to discuss your concerns directly, she will contact you to request a meeting. Within 3 working days of the meeting, Ms Bailey will write to you to confirm what was discussed and any solutions that have been agreed between you.
If you do not want a meeting, or if it is not possible for any reason, Ms Bailey will send you a detailed response to your complaint, including any suggestions for resolving the matter. You will receive this within 3 months of the firm acknowledging receipt of your complaint.
Please note, if any of our invoices remain outstanding at this stage and we do not believe there are substantial grounds for your complaint as to warrant non-payment, we reserve our right to pursue such outstanding costs including through the Court process.
If You Are Not Happy With The Outcome
We will make every effort to resolve all complaints in a satisfactory manner. If you are not satisfied after you have received our detailed response and suggestions for resolving the matter, please let us know in writing and we will review the decision. This may happen in one of the following ways:
- Sabrina Bailey, as the Investigating Partner, would review the decision personally within 7 days and write to you to explain the firm’s final position on the complaint, or
- We will arrange for Louise Allard or someone else who is not connected with the complaint to review the decision and write to you to explain the firm’s final position on the complaint.
At this point our complaints procedure will be concluded. If you are still not satisfied, you can take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman for independent review.
Further Information
Please note that before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve the complaint with us first. Complaints to the Legal Ombudsman should ordinarily be made within six months of our written response to your complaint and no more than six years from the date of act/omission, or no more than three years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.
Complaints about Invoices: If your complaint relates to an invoice, you may have a right to challenge the invoice by applying to the court for an assessment of your invoice under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. The Legal Ombudsman may not consider a complaint about an invoice if you have applied to the court for an assessment.
Complaints about behaviour:The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) can also help you if you are concerned about behaviour such as dishonesty, taking or losing your money or acts that could be considered as discrimination like treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.
You can find further information on the SRA website here: www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor.
Contact Details
Allard Bailey Family Law
- Sabrina Bailey: sabrina@allardbailey.com
- Louise Allard: louise@allardbailey.com
- Phone: 020 7993 2936
- Address: Allard Bailey Family Law, 44 Southampton Buildings, London, WC2A 1AP
Legal Ombudsman
- Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
- Phone: 0300 555 0333
- Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
- Address: Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
About Us
As a specialist firm, we focus on all areas of family law and legal matters that affect private wealth.
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Contact
Contact
info@allardbailey.com
(+44) 020 7993 2936
Head Office
3 Waterhouse Square,
138 Holborn, London, EC1N 2SW
Hertford Office
114-116 Fore Street, Hertford,
SG14 1AJ
Allard Bailey Family Law is a practice name of Allard Bailey Family Law Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (no 10359344) and authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (no 634271)
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