Client complaints policy

Our complaints policy

Phoenix Law Associates trading as Phoenix Lawyers is committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all our clients. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to improve our standards. Whenever possible, please raise any initial client care problems with the person acting on your matter to give them the opportunity of resolving matters with you. Often matters can be quickly resolved in this way.

Our complaints procedure

If you have a concern or a complaint that has not been dealt with to your satisfaction by the person handling your case or their supervising partner, please contact us as soon as you are aware of the problem so that this can be addressed. You can contact us in writing, by letter, email, or by telephone.

• Write to us: Phoenix Law Associates Ltd trading as Phoenix Lawyers Suite 21 Heron House, 2 Heigham Road, Eastham, London, E6 2JG
• Email us: Sreekumar@phoenixlawyers.co.uk
• Telephone: 020 4618 8080

What will happen next?

1. We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within two days of our receiving the complaint, enclosing a copy of this procedure.
2. We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to our managing director, Sreekumar Narayanan, who will review your matter file and speak to the member of staff who acted for you.
3. Sreekumar Narayanan will then invite you to a meeting to discuss and, it is hoped, resolve your complaint. They will do this within 14 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
4. Within three days of the meeting, Sreekumar will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions they have agreed with you.
5. If you do not want a meeting or it is not possible, Sreekumar will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including their suggestions for resolving the matter, within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
6. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again to explain why you remain unhappy with our response and we will review your comments.
7. We will write to you within 14 days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.
8. If you are still not satisfied, you can ask the Legal Ombudsman to consider your complaint. We hope that this does not become necessary and that we can resolve matters between ourselves. The Legal Ombudsman’s contact details are:
   Address: PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
   Telephone: 0300 555 0333
   Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
   Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
   
   Normally, you will need to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving a final written response from us about your complaint and within the following timescales:
   – no later than one year from the date of the act or omission about which you are
   complaining occurring; or
   – no later than one year from the date you should reasonably have known there were
   grounds for complaint.
9. Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) bodies exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our practice wish to use such a scheme. We have, however, chosen not to adopt an ADR process. If, therefore, you wish to complain further, you should contact the Legal Ombudsman. If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.

Complaints in relation to bills

The complaints procedure above also applies to complaints arising concerning our bill. There may also be a right to object to the bill by applying to the court for an assessment of the bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974; the Legal Ombudsman may not consider a complaint about a bill if you have applied to the court for assessment of that bill.

Costs

We will not charge you for handling your complaint.
The Legal Ombudsman service is free of charge.