Our complaints procedure – new client enquiries
Have you got a complaint against Leigh Day?
We hope that you will never have reason to complain about our service to you ,however, if something does go wrong, please bring it to our attention as soon as you can. We will try to resolve the matter fairly and quickly. We will apologise if need be and do our best to offer a practical solution. The firm’s Complaints Partner isEmmalene Bushnellwho is responsible for this procedure.
There is a body called the Legal Ombudsman, an independent body that handles complaints about legal services. Its details are The Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ, telephone 0300 555 0333.Their email address is and their website address is
You can ask the Legal Ombudsman to become involved at the end our internal complaints procedure, if you are unhappy with the outcome. The Legal Ombudsman has a helpline if you need to speak to them about how to make a complaint. Calls are charged at a local rate and will be recorded. There is no charge for the Ombudsman’s services.
A preliminary point
Solicitors are entitled to reasonably refuse requests for legal assistance and representation. Refusals must not be based on age, disability, gender, religion, sex orientation or other personal characteristic. Reasonable reasons to refuse to provide a service include that we are too busy, that the client is unable to fund the work required, that the matter is outside our expertise and that the case is too difficult or complex.
We will have provided you with the reason why we cannot assist you when responding to your request for assistance. If you are unhappy with our response you may wish first to contact the lawyer who reviewed your enquiry. However, if you are not comfortable speaking to that lawyer, you can also ask to speak to their supervisor or the Complaints Partner, Emmalene Bushnell.
How do I complain?
We much prefer that substantial or complicated complaints are dealt with in writing – we do not have any set forms that we use for this purpose. However, we realise that not all individuals 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.
Who do I complain to?
Our system is that, wherever possible, complaints are resolved within the department handling your case. If your requesthas been reviewed by a solicitor who is not a Partner then the complaint should be made to the Partner that supervises that solicitor. However, if your requesthas been reviewedby a Partner, the head of that department will deal with it. If the requesthas been reviewedby a head of department another Partner in the department will respond to your complaint.
Your response letter may confirm which lawyer has reviewed your request, however, you should contact the author of the letter or the person you spoke to confirm that you would like to make a complaint.
You will then be informed in writing to whom any problem with service should be addressed.
The person dealing with your complaint will inform the Complaints Partner,Emmalene Bushnell that a complaint has been made for our complaints file and so that she 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 Complaints PartnerEmmalene Bushnell.
What will happen next?
- We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within two days of receiving it, enclosing a copy of this procedure if you have not previously received it and advising you of the name of the Partner who will be handling your complaint.
- We will then investigate your complaint. This will involve the Partner handling your complaint reviewing your matter and speak to the member(s) of staff who dealt with your enquiry.
- The Partner will then write to you with theirfindings within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter. However, if the complaint is complicated further time may be needed. If so, the Partner will write and tell you and set another time limit.
- At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you can contact the Legal Ombudsman,
about your complaint. Any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within six months of the date of our final written response on your complaint but for further information, you shouldemail the Legal Ombudsmanor call 0300 555 0333 or at:
PO Box 6806,
Wolverhampton,
WV1 9WJ
If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.
Legal Ombudsman’s time limits
Please see the Ombudsman’s website:
The Ombudsman will allow us a period of 8 weeks to resolve your complaint. The Ombudsman asks that you come to it as soon as you can and must do so within 6 months of your last contact with us. If the Ombudsman considers there are exceptional reasons to consider a complaint sooner or there is an irretrievable breakdown in the relationship, the Ombudsman may accept a complaint sooner.
Ordinarily, the Ombudsman will only consider complaints in relation to acts or omissions after 5/10/10 and the complaint must be referred no later than:
(a)6 years fromthe matter giving rise to the complaint; or
(b)3 years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint without taking advice from a third party.
The Legal Ombudsman can increase any time limit in exceptional circumstances e.g. if there is serious illness.
Other points to note
Complaints regarding a data subject request under the Data Protection Act 1998 are dealt with in accordance with this policy.
Complaints about staff other than Solicitors can also be made to the Complaints Partner.
TheOnline Dispute Resolution websiteis an official website managed by the European Commission dedicated to helping consumers and on-traders resolve their disputes out-of-court. We currently do not use any ADR providers to resolve complaints, including those which the ODR Platform transmits complaints to, but unresolved complaints about our services will be dealt with by the Legal Ombudsman under the statutory complaints scheme.
February 2018