How do I complain

In the first instance it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your matter to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues. If you would like to make a formal complaint, you can read our full complaints procedure as set out in your engagement letter. You should look at the “Engagement Letter” that you were sent at the start of your case by your conducting lawyer.

The way we work is that, wherever possible, complaints are resolved by the Solicitor handling your case as stated in your Engagement Letter. If your case is being handled by a different solicitor who is not a the originally identified individual in your Engagement Letter, then the complaint should be made to the Compliance and Legal Officer (“COLP”), Omar Khan (see further information below).

You will be informed in writing by the lawyer having conduct of your matter if there is a change of person to whom any problem with service should be addressed.

The person dealing with your complaint will inform the firm’s COLP that a complaint has been made for our complaints file and so that the COLP can monitor progress of the complaint.

We hope that this simple procedure will deal with your concerns, however, if it does not you should write to the COLP on o.khan@360lawservices.com

We deal with complaints free of charge.

Who do I complain to

We much prefer that substantial or complicated complaints are dealt with in writing and there is no prescribed way to do this. However, we realise that not all clients may be able to formulate a detailed letter. In such cases, a telephone call will do, during which we will make a note of the issues and then send that to you for comment. This document will then form the basis of the complaint.

Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your matter. We strive for excellence and providing a clear and accurate legal service in a timely manner. We also pride ourselves in being friendly, approachable and helpful. Client satisfaction is a priority for us and we want the service you receive to reflect these principles. That is why we welcome hearing from you if you ever believe that our service has fallen short of these objectives.

What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint

We have eight weeks to consider your complaint. If we have not resolved it within this time you may be able to complain to the Legal Ombudsman. This applies if you are an individual, a business with fewer than 10 employees and turnover or assets not exceeding a certain threshold, a charity or trust with a net income of less than £1m, or if you fall within certain other categories (you can find out more from the Legal Ombudsman). The Legal Ombudsman will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your matter.

Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:

• within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint; and
• no more than six years from the date of act/omission; or
• no more than three years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.

If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them. The Legal Ombudsman contact details are:

Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9.00 to 17.00

Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

Address: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH

In addition to the Legal Ombudsman, several other complaints bodies exist which are also able to deal with complaints about legal services – these are: ProMediate, Small Claims Mediation and the European Online Dispute Resolution platform. Information about these alternatives can be found at:

https://promediate.co.uk/

https://www.gov.uk/respond-to-court-claim-for-money/mediation

ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr

What to do if you are unhappy with our behaviour

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.

Visit their website to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (“SRA”) by clicking here

Non-Client Complaints Procedure

If you believe that we have behaved dishonestly, illegally, in breach of the SRA’s principles, or for some other reason you are dissatisfied with our conduct and you are not a client of this firm, you should raise the subject of your complaint with the person with whom you are dealing, or against whom the complaint is made, and if your complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction at that level you should email the COLP at o.khan@360lawservices.com or write to us with details of your complaint as follows:

360 Law Services Limited

F.A.O. The Compliance Office of the Legal Practice
39 Guildford Road
Lightwater
Surrey
GU18 5SA

The time limits for bringing a complaint to our attention are within six months of the event giving rise to your complaint, or within three months of you becoming aware of the circumstances giving rise to it, whichever is the later. If you wish to complain about our service after the expiry of these time limits you may still be able to make a complaint directly to the Legal Ombudsman, but we will not be obliged in those circumstances to consider your complaint under this procedure and you should contact the Legal Ombudsman to establish whether your complaint falls within the time limits of the Ombudsman’s scheme.

We will let you know within 14 days of receipt of your complaint in writing how and in what timescale we propose to deal with your complaint depending on its nature, and in most circumstances we would expect that timescale not to exceed 28 days.

Depending on the nature of the complaint and against whom it is made, it may be considered by a Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration or another Director of the firm, who in each case will not be the same person as the subject of the complaint.

At any stage if you are unhappy with the way in which we deal with your complaint you may ask the Legal Ombudsman and/or the SRA whether they will investigate your complaint. Both addresses are contained in the “Client Complaints Procedure” section above. If you are legally represented in the matter giving rise to your complaint please note that we will only correspond with your solicitor.

Regulatory Information

360 Law Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Our SRA registration number is 638684.