Introduction
Renew Legal is committed to providing a high quality legal service to all of our clients. If you have a complaint about any aspect of our service, please do tell us as soon as possible. This will enable us to try to resolve any problem and help us to improve our standards.
Step 1
The first step is to either talk to, or write to, the person who is dealing with your matter. We will try to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction within three working days.
Step 2
Our designated Client Relations Manager for any matter arising in England and Wales is Christie Skudder and for any matter arising in Scotland is Karen Shaw. Our Client Relations Managers are responsible for dealing with complaints.
If that person is not available, if you would prefer to approach someone else, or if you are not satisfied that your complaint has been resolved under Step 1, please telephone or write to your Client Director, whose details will be found in your Engagement Letter or any other Director, if you prefer. The Client Relations Manager or Client Director will acknowledge your complaint in writing within three working days and will try to ensure that you receive a full response within twenty-one days of us sending you our acknowledgment. If we cannot give you a full response within that time we will let you know how long it will take.
Step 3: England & Wales – Legal Ombudsman
If you are still not satisfied with our response and/ or if we have not dealt with the complaint within eight weeks, you may be able to then refer the matter to the Legal Ombudsman (the “Ombudsman”). You can contact the Ombudsman by telephoning 0300 555 0333 or by writing to PO Box 15870, Birmingham B30 9EB or by e-mailing enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk .
The Ombudsman deals with service complaints from members of the public and very small businesses, charities, clubs and trusts. Please contact the Ombudsman direct or refer to its website (www.legalombudsman.org.uk) for more information on whether you can use its service. Any complaint to the Ombudsman must usually be made within six months of the end of our complaints process and within six years from the date of the alleged act or omission, or three years from when you should reasonably have known there was a cause for complaint. Please contact the Ombudsman for more information on the time scales for making a complaint.
Step 3: Scotland – Scottish Legal Complaints Committee
If you are still not satisfied with our response and/ or if we have not dealt with the complaint within eight weeks, you may be able to then refer the matter to the Scottish Legal Complaints Committee (“SLCC”). You can contact the SLCC by telephoning 0131 201 2130 or by writing to SLCC, The Stamp Office, 10 – 14 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh EH1 3EG.
SLCC is the first point of contact for all complaints against solicitors in Scotland. Please contact SLCC or refer to its website (https://www.scottishlegalcomplaints.org.uk) for more information. There are strict time limits for
submitting any complaint and therefore any complaints should be made as soon as possible. Please refer to the SLCC to confirm the time limit that applies to you as these changed on 1 April 2017. Generally a complaint must be made within 3 years of the provision of the service or one year for work commenced before 1 April 2017, disregarding any time it considers that the complainer was excusably unaware of the alleged inadequate service or conduct.
Alternative Dispute Resolution
We recognise that Alternative Dispute Resolution Regulations have implemented ADR/EDR Directive 2013/11/EU to promote alternative dispute resolution as a means of redress for consumers in relation to unsatisfactory services. We have however chosen not to adopt an ADR process, and if you have any concerns about the services you receive from this firm you should contact the firm’s Client Relations Manager in accordance with the procedure set out above.
Complaints about our fees
If you have a complaint about our fees, as well as the procedure set out above, you may also have the right to apply to the court for an assessment of the bill, although if all or part of a bill remains unpaid you may have to pay interest.