Complaints Procedure

Date: 13/3/2024

Version: 3

How we handle formal complaints

We pride ourselves on providing an excellent service, but even in the best run businesses, mistakes, delays and misunderstandings can happen.

If something has gone wrong, please tell us about it so we can put things right and improve what we do in the future.

Please tell us about any problems as soon as they arise, so we have the best chance of fixing them.

You should not feel obliged to use this formal complaints procedure – you may tell us about a problem informally and we will do our best to put things right – but if you do find yourself in the position of wishing to raise a formal complaint with us then please follow the steps below.

We will never charge you for the time it takes us to handle your complaint.

How to complain

You can make a complaint either in writing or by telephone by contacting the following people:

By telephone: Diane Johnson 01925 422945
In writing: Diane Johnson, Costs Lawyer UK, Rutherford House, Warrington Road, Birchwood, WA3 6ZH
Email: diane@costslawyeruk.com

Please tell us who or what the complaint is about and when the problem happened or when the problem started if it is still ongoing, and how you would like us to communicate with you (by telephone, letter or email).

What happens next

We will acknowledge your complaint in writing. We will try to do this within 7 business days.

We will look into the details of your complaint and consider what we need to do to put things right, which might include:

• explaining what we think happened;
  

• apologising to you;
  

• repeating work, or parts of work, we did for you;
  

• reviewing our procedures so we do not repeat a mistake;
  

• reducing our fees;
  

• compensating you for any loss we have caused you to suffer.
  

Once we have investigated your complaint we will reply to you. We will do this within eight weeks of when you first complained to us. If you have asked us to contact you by telephone we will do so but we will also write to you.

The Legal Ombudsman

If we have been unable to put things right, or we have not resolved your complaint within eight weeks, then you can have the complaint independently looked at by the Legal Ombudsman. The Legal Ombudsman investigates problems about poor service from lawyers.

Before accepting a complaint for investigation the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response, and not later than:

• one year from the date of the act or omission you are complaining about; or
  

• one year from the date when you should have realised that there was cause for complaint. 
  

The Legal Ombudsman can be contacted using the following details:

Address: PO Box 6167, Slough SL1 0EH
Telephone: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

The Costs Lawyer Standards Board (CLSB)

Individual Costs Lawyers who work for us are regulated by the CLSB and the CLSB can investigate complaints about those Costs Lawyers’ professional conduct. If you wish to complain about a Costs Lawyer’s conduct, you should contact the CLSB promptly.

The CLSB will consider complaints made within 12 months of the date on which the matters giving rise to the complaint occurred or the date on which the complainant first became aware that they had grounds for the complaint. This period can be extended in exceptional circumstances. The CLSB will usually expect you to give us a chance to resolve your complaint first.

The CLSB can be contacted using the following details:

Address: PO Box 4336, Manchester, M61 0BW
Telephone: 0161 956 8969
Email: enquiries@clsb.info
Website: www.clsb.info