We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to our clients. We are confident that in by far the majority of cases conducted by the firm our clients experience excellent service. If anything should go wrong though, we would seek to resolve the situation as quickly and efficiently as possible. Should you experience any problems with our service, please bring the matter to our attention as soon as possible so that we might take steps to remedy the situation and ensure it does not happen again.
If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received, please contact the member of staff you are dealing with in the first instance. We hope that by doing this, matters can be resolved quickly and to your satisfaction. If you do not feel able to do that or having done so you do not achieve a satisfactory outcome, you may use our formal complaint procedure.
How to make a formal complaint
Please send an email to: info@mcgillbrown.co.uk or write to “The Compliance Department” at McGill Brown, Sophia House, 28 Cathedral Road, Cardiff CF11 9LJ Please include the following information:
- Your full name and address.
- The firm’s case reference number.
- The name of the individual who acts for you.
- A brief outline of your complaint along with any supporting copy documents or other evidence.
The formal complaints policy is available to clients of the firm. There are limited circumstances in which the firm would consider a complaint from a non-client, but this is rare. If you are not a client of the firm but wish to bring a complaint under this policy, please explain why you think the firm ought to engage with you.
What will happen next?
We aim to acknowledge receipt of any complaints within 4 working days of receipt.
We will investigate your complaint. In order to do this, we will consider any documents or evidence you supply and all our relevant files and records. We will also speak to the individual member or members of staff who are dealing with your case.
We expect it to take up to 28 working days to consider and fully investigate a complaint. It may take longer, for example if there are staff absences or we are waiting for you to provide any clarification or further information we have requested from you.
Once the complaint has been fully assessed we will do one of two things within 7 working days of completing the investigation:
a.) Invite you to attend a meeting in person or by telephone to discuss your complaint; or
b.) Write to you with our findings and determination.
This timescale for dealing with a complaint is for guidance only and is subject to the complexity of the particular issues raised. If a complaint is particularly complicated the investigation may take much longer than that required for a simple issue. If appropriate, we will inform you as soon as it becomes apparent that more time is needed.
As a regulated law firm our services are subject to the jurisdiction of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and the Legal Ombudsman (LeO).
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your complaint to the firm you may contact LeO to seek an independent adjudication. In order to refer a complaint to LeO you usually must have first exhausted the firm’s internal complaints policy. If we give you a final response to your complaint with which you are not satisfied, you must generally refer your complaint to LeO within 6 months of that final response. The contact details for LeO are: The Legal Ombudsman, PO BOX 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ; telephone: 0300 555 0333; website: https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk
A referral to the SRA is not appropriate if you have a complaint about service or advice, but only suitable if there are good grounds to suspect that conduct by an individual or the firm breaches the SRA Handbook/Code of Conduct.