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Complaints handling
We try to ensure that clients are given a prompt, efficient and cost-effective service. However, from time to time there may be occasions when you have queries, concerns or complaints about the work done for you or about an invoice, and this document tells you what we will do to try to resolve such problems.
What to do if you have a complaint
If you have a concern, query or complaint, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can deal with your concerns promptly. You should in the first instance raise any concerns with your adviser or the supervising partner on your matter. If the adviser or partner is unable to resolve the issue and you wish to make a formal complaint, please contact our Compliance team, at compliance@schillingspartners.com, who will follow our Complaints Handling Procedure as detailed below.
Our complaints handling procedure
1. Once we have received your formal complaint we aim to write to you within three working days to acknowledge receipt and confirm who will be responsible for dealing with your complaint.
2. We will conduct an investigation into the matters you have raised.
As part of this investigation we may:
– Review your file
– Speak with members of the matter team
– Contact you to request further information or clarification
– Invite you to a meeting to discuss your complaint, our findings and possible
resolution
3. We aim to fully respond to your complaint in writing within 8 weeks of receipt. Our final written response will inform you of the outcome of our investigation and will attempt to address concerns raised by you in your complaint.
4. The precise time scale will depend on the complexity of the matter and the issues raised and may be impacted by your own availability for meetings and correspondence. If at any stage we are unable to meet the timescales set out above we will inform you of the reasons for the delay and the date by which we expect to be able to provide you with our response.
What to do if you are unhappy with the decision
If you do not feel at the conclusion of our Complaints Handling Procedure that we have addressed the complaint to your satisfaction, and if you are an individual, a micro-enterprise, a charity, a club or a trust, and if your complaint relates to legal services provided by us, you may decide to take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:
Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6167
Slough
SL1 0EH
Tel: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Web: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must be made within six months of the date of our written response and ordinarily must also be within the following periods:
a. One year from the act/omission; or
b. One year from when the complainant should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint; and
c. Six months of us communicating the outcome of our Complaints Handling Procedure to you.
What to do if you are unhappy with our response (for clients of Schillings Ireland LLP)
In the event that you do not feel, at the conclusion of our Complaints Handling Procedure, that we have addressed your complaint to your satisfaction, you may have a right to refer your complaint to the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA):
LSRA
PO Box 12906
Dublin 7
Tel: +353 18592911
Email: complaints@lsra.ie
Web: www.lsra.ie/make-a-complaint/
Any complaint to the LSRA about our service must normally be made within three years of when you first became aware of the issue, or should reasonably have become aware of the issue if complaining about inadequate legal services or excessive costs. There is no time limit on making a complaint about misconduct.