We are committed to providing a high quality legal service and dealing with all our clients fairly. We acknowledge that we may not always get it right, so if something has gone wrong, including in relation to the bill, we need you to tell us.
How do I make a complaint?
You can contact us in writing (by letter, fax or email) or by speaking with our complaints partner who is James Dale, and who can be contacted by email at james.dale@newsteadwalker.co.uk or by telephone (01943 461414) or by post at our office in Mercury House, Mercury Row, Otley LS21 3HQ
To help us to understand your complaint, and in order that we do not miss anything, please be sure to tell us:
- Your full name and contact details
- What you think we have got wrong
- What you hope to achieve as a result of your complaint, and
- Your file reference number (if you have it)
How will you deal with my complaint?
Sometimes, it is not clear if your initial communication is intended to be a complaint. If we are in doubt about that, we may contact you initially to explain and to explore if any other way forward is appropriate, and to make sure we understand how you wish your communication to be treated.
The complaints partner may, at his or her discretion, contact you directly to explore any possibility of dealing with your complaint quickly and informally to the mutual satisfaction of the client and the firm, for example by explaining a fee-earner’s position, advice and/or actions, or by reducing a bill of costs. If agreement is reached in this way, the result will be recorded in writing. As part of that process, you will be told that a full formal complaints procedure exists which can be brought into operation by either party at any time.
If you wish to proceed as a formal complaint, we will immediately record your complaint centrally.
We will contact you within three (3) working days to acknowledge your complaint, and to send you a copy of this policy.
We will investigate your complaint. This will usually involve:
- Reviewing your complaint
- Reviewing your file(s) and other relevant documents, and
- Speaking with the person who dealt with your matter
We may also need to ask you for further information or documents. If so, we will ask you to provide the information within a specific period of time.
We may also, if we think it is appropriate, invite you to a meeting to discuss your complaint. You do not have to attend if you do not wish to or if you are unable to. We may also be able to discuss the matter with you on the telephone.
We will update you on the progress of your complaint at appropriate stages.
We will write to you at the end of our investigation to tell you what we have discovered, and what we propose to do to resolve your complaint. We will aim to do this within fourteen (14) working days of the date of our letter of acknowledgement.
What if I am not satisfied with the outcome?
If you are unhappy with the outcome of our complaints handling procedure please first let us know and we will review the matter.
If you are still unhappy, you can ask the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) to look into your complaint. The Legal Ombudsman service is free of charge. The Legal Ombudsman, is an independent complaints body established under the Legal Services Act, who can investigate complaints about the legal service you have received from us. You can contact the Legal Ombudsman:
by post at PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
by telephone: 0300 555 0333, or
by email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
The Legal Ombudsman expects complaints to be made to them within one year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned or within one year of you realising there was a concern. You must also refer your concerns to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response to your complaint. Further details are available on the website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk.
Alternative complaints bodies such as Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should you wish to use such a scheme. Further details are available on the website: www.cedr.com
Newstead & Walker are under no obligation to use an ADR scheme.
What will it cost?
We will not charge you for handling your complaint.
Please note that if we have issued a bill for work done on a matter, and all or some of the bill is not paid, we may be entitled to charge interest on the amount outstanding.