Complaints handling

Our aim is to provide an excellent service at all times. However, if you have a complaint then please let us know as soon as possible.  It is not necessary for lay clients to involve solicitors in order to make a complaint but you are free to do so if you wish.

 

Chambers has a Complaints Officer, but in the first instance your complaint should be directed to the Senior Clerk, Fraser McLaren (or, if it relates to the Senior Clerk, then directly to the Complaints Officer). This may be done by telephone (01473 214481).  The person you contact will make a note of the details of your complaint and what you would like done about it.  If the matter is resolved he will record the outcome, check that you are satisfied with the outcome and record that you are satisfied.

 

If the matter is not resolved on the telephone you will be invited to write to or e-mail us about it within 14 days so that the matter may be investigated formally.

 

If you decide that this is what you want to do please be sure to provide the following details:

• your full name and address
• the name of the person about whom you are complaining
• the names of the parties to the case, and the date and place of hearing (if any)
• the exact nature of the complaint; and
• what you would like done about it.

If you wish, a complaints form can be downloaded here and on completion may be posted to : 

 

East Anglian Chambers, 5 Museum Street, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 1HQ

 

or forwarded by e-mail to :

 

Senior Clerk :                  fmclaren@ealaw.co.uk

Complaints directed to other members of Chambers will be referred internally to the Senior Clerk and/or Complaints Officer as appropriate.

We will wherever possible acknowledge written complaints within 48  hours of receipt and you will at that time be advised of the action to be taken and the timescale for a response. All written complaints will also be logged. Serious complaints will always be acknowledged in writing but more minor matters may be dealt with by telephone response.

Depending on the nature of the written complaint it will in the first instance be investigated by either the Senior Clerk in conjunction with the Complaints Officer or by someone delegated by them, and it will always be someone other than the person you are complaining about.  The person appointed to investigate will write to you as soon as possible to let you know he has been appointed and that he will reply to your complaint within 14 days.  Once the investigation has been completed the person investigating the matter will write to you explaining how the matter has been investigated, the conclusions reached and, if your complaint is considered justified, then the proposals to resolve the complaint.  If he is not able to reply within 14 days he will write to set a new date for his reply.

 

All conversations and documents relating to the complaint will be treated as confidential and will be disclosed only to the extent that it is necessary. Disclosure will be to the Head of Chambers, members of our Management Committee and anyone involved in the complaint and its investigation, including the barrister or member of staff about whom you have complained and the person who is investigating the matter. The Bar Standards Board is also entitled to inspect documents and seek information about the complaint when discharging its auditing and monitoring duties. As part of our commitment to client care we keep a written record of all complaints and retain documents for a period of six years. Our Management Committee reviews anonymised records of complaints regularly with a view to improving services.

If you are not satisfied with the final outcome of your complaint you may refer the matter to the Legal Ombudsman, the independent body dealing with complaints about lawyers :

 

Legal Ombudsman

PO Box 6806

Wolverhampton

WV1 9WJ

 

Tel : 0300 555 0333

E : enquiries@legalombudsman,org.uk

 

Please note that the Legal Ombudsman is not able to consider your complaint unless it has first been investigated by Chambers, and there is also a twelve month time limit from the date of the act or omission about which you are complaining within which you must make your complaint.  Chambers also will not deal with complaints that fall outside the twelve month time limit.