Complaints
All of the barristers at 7 Bedford Row aim to provide the highest level of service to all of their clients and feedback from our clients suggests that they are successful in achieving their aim.
Hence we very much hope that you will not have cause to complain, but if you do you are invited to let us know as soon as possible. You may contact us directly, it is not necessary to involve solicitors in order to make your complaint but you are free to do so should you wish.
Please note that the Legal Ombudsman, the independent complaints body for service complaints about lawyers, has a twelve-month time limit from the date of the act or omission about which you are complaining within which to make your complaint. Chambers must therefore have regard to that timeframe when deciding whether they are able to investigate your complaint. Chambers will not deal with complaints that fall outside of the twelve month time limit.
Complaints Made by Telephone
1. You may wish to make a complaint in writing and, if so, please follow the procedure in paragraphs 2 and 3 below. However, if you would rather speak on the telephone about your complaint then please telephone Fay Gillott, Chambers’ Chief Executive, on 020 7242 3555. The Chief Executive will make a note of the details of your complaint and what you would like done about it. She will discuss your concerns with you and aim to resolve them. If the matter is resolved she will record the outcome, check that you are satisfied with the outcome and record that you are satisfied. You may also wish to record the outcome of the telephone discussion in writing. The Chief Executive will in any case write to you to confirm the outcome.
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• If your complaint is not resolved on the telephone you will be invited to write to us about it within the next 14 days so that it can be investigated formally.
Complaints made in Writing
2. Please give the following details:
- • Your name and address;
- • Which member(s) of Chambers you are complaining about;
- • The detail of the complaint; and
- • What you would like done about it.
3. Please address your letter to the Chief Executive, 7 Bedford Row, London, WC1R 4BS. We will, where possible, acknowledge receipt of your complaint within seven days and provide you with details of how your complaint will be dealt with.
4. The Chief Executive will investigate your complaint and reply to you within 28 days. If she finds later that she is not going to be able to reply within 28 days she will set a new date for her reply and inform you. The Chief Executive’s reply will set out:
- • The nature and scope of her investigation;
- • Her conclusion on each complaint and the basis for her conclusion; and
- • If she finds that you are justified in your complaint, her proposals for resolving the complaint.
5. There may be occasions when the Chief Executive in conjunction with the Head of Chambers decides that your complaint should be investigated by a panel or another barrister. If such a decision is made then the head of the panel or the nominated barrister will reply to you with the information listed at paragraph 4.
Confidentiality
6. All conversations and documents relating to the complaint will be treated as confidential and will be disclosed only to the extent that is necessary. Disclosure will be to the head of Chambers, the Chief Executive, members of our management committeeand to anyone involved in the complaint and its investigation. Such people will include the barrister member or staff who you have complained about and the person who investigates the complaint if that is not the Chief Executive. The Bar Standards Board is entitled to inspect the documents and seek information about the complaint when discharging its auditing and monitoring functions.
Our Policy
7. As part of our commitment to client care we make a written record of any complaint and retain all documents and correspondence generated by the complaint for a period of six years. Our management committee inspects the record regularly and will, if appropriate, make changes to our procedures with a view to improving services.
Complaints to the Legal Ombudsman
8. If you are unhappy with the outcome of our investigation you may take up your complaint with the Legal Ombudsman, the independent complaints body for complaints about lawyers, at the conclusion of our consideration of your complaint. The Ombudsman is not able to consider your complaint until it has first been investigated by Chambers. Please note that the Legal Ombudsman has a twelve-month time limit from the date of the act or omission about which you are complaining within which to make your complaint. You can write to the Legal Ombudsman at:
Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 15870
Birmingham
B30 9EB
Telephone number: 0300 555 0333