Introduction

SV Law aims to provide the highest standard of legal service to every client. We recognise, however, that we may not always achieve this aim and want to know about any problems so that we can try to put them right. We value feedback, which provides us with an opportunity to check the quality of our service and make improvements. We will consider any complaint carefully and objectively, endeavouring to resolve the issues and reach a satisfactory conclusion. 

Who Should I Complain To?

If you wish to complain about our service or charges, please contact our office manager, Johanna Williams, by email at jwilliams@sv-law.co.uk. We are happy to deal with your complaint by informal discussion or in writing, at your choosing. 

If you would prefer to deal with someone else, you are welcome to do so. You can contact SV Law’s Principal, Satnam Virdi, by email at svirdi@sv-law.co.uk. 

What Will SV Law Do?

We will acknowledge your complaint as soon as possible and set out a suggested timetable for our response. We normally aim to provide an initial response to your complaint within 28 days of receiving it. 

If you are not satisfied with our initial response, you can escalate to SV Law’s Principal, Satnam Virdi. Mr. Virdi will either: 

1. review the substance of your complaint himself, or
2. ask another person to do so. 

In either case, your complaint will be looked at afresh and we will work with you to understand any remaining concerns. We will aim to provide a final response within 28 days of the complaint being escalated. 

If we need to vary any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why. 

What Are My Legal Rights?

Nothing in this procedure takes precedence over or replaces your rights under English and Welsh law. These rights are set out below. 

If you do not agree with our final response to your complaint, you have the right to refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman. The Legal Ombudsman is an independent organisation which deals with complaints about solicitors and other legal professionals. Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve the complaint with us first. They allow us eight weeks in which to respond to your complaint.

The Legal Ombudsman can only accept complaints from individuals and certain small businesses and organisations like charities, clubs and trusts. The Ombudsman will not accept complaints from larger organisations or public bodies.

Full details of the process and the kinds of complaints which the Ombudsman can accept are available from the Legal Ombudsman website (www.legalombudsman.org.uk) or can be obtained by calling 0300 555 0333, emailing enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk or writing to the Legal Ombudsman at PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH. 

If you wish to refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, you should do so within 6 months of our final response to your complaint, and no more than one year from the date of the act or omission about which you have complained or no more than one year from the date when you should have realised that there was cause for complaint. Please refer to the Legal Ombudsman website for full details on its approach to handling complaints.

You may also ask an approved alternative dispute resolution (ADR) body to deal with the complaint, such as Promediate – https://www.promediate.co.uk/. We do not agree to use the scheme operated by Promediate. 

If your complaint relates to fees, you may be entitled to have them reviewed by the court by applying for an assessment of the bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. If you take advantage of this procedure within a month from the date of our invoice, your right to a detailed assessment is unconditional. If you delay beyond a month the court may impose conditions. Once a year has elapsed since the date of the bill you will lose the right to a detailed assessment unless there are special circumstances.  

Alternatively, if you consider that we have breached a regulatory obligation as solicitors, you may refer the matter directly to the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority here: https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor/. Alternatively, you can call 0370 606 2555, email report@sra.org.uk or write to Solicitors Regulation Authority (The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham, BQ 1RN)

Will I Be Charged For Making A Complaint?

We will not charge you for handling your complaint. If you complain to the Legal Ombudsman or the SRA, you will also not be charged for handling your complaint.