We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all our clients. When
something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to improve
our standards.
If you do have a complaint, then please let us know about it promptly. In many cases,
misunderstandings or complaints of a minor nature can be dealt with informally over
the telephone or via e-mail. We will fully document every complaint and our handling
of it and we will send you a copy of our file relating to it, free of charge, upon
request. If you feel that your complaint is more serious, then you should set it
out in writing and send it to Thomas Hutchinson at our Southport office.
If you decide to write to us, then we will endeavour to send you a letter acknowledging
receipt of your complaint within three days of receiving it, enclosing a copy of
this procedure. We will then investigate your complaint and will write to you to
give you the option to meet with us to discuss, and hopefully resolve, your complaint,
or to deal with the matter in writing. Where you choose to discuss the matter in-person,
we will try to arrange a meeting with you promptly (usually within 14 days). Within
three days of the meeting, we will write to you to confirm what took place and any
solutions we have agreed with you. If you do not want a meeting or if it is not possible,
we will endeavour to send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including
our suggestions for resolving the matter, within a reasonable period of time (usually
21 days).
If, at this stage, you are still not satisfied, we may also offer you the opportunity
to involve an independent mediator to assist with resolving the complaint. We will
always advise you of your right to raise your concerns with the appropriate regulatory
body (usually the Intellectual Property Regulation Board (IPReg) or the European
Patent Institute (EPi) for misconduct, the Legal Ombudsman for poor service) and
we will assist you in contacting the relevant body and will cooperate fully in their
investigation.
If after our investigation and response you are still not satisfied with the quality
of service offered, The Legal Services Act has set up the Legal Ombudsman to deal
with complaints of poor service. Ordinarily, a complainant must also refer a complaint
to the Legal Ombudsman within one year from the act/omission complained of; or one
year from when the complainant should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint
without taking advice from a third party; whichever is later; and generally within
six months of the firm's response providing it. We will confirm the relevant deadline
in our response to a complaint made to us. Please note that the Legal Ombudsman generally
handles complaints only by individuals, very small businesses, charities, trusts
and clubs and associations. You can contact the Legal Ombudsman at PO Box 15870,
Birmingham B30 9EB; or by telephone on 0300 555 0333; via the website www.legalombudsman.org.uk
or by email at enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk .
Alternatively if the complaint concerns a matter of professional misconduct rather
than poor service if you remain dissatisfied you can contact the Intellectual Property
Regulation Board (IPReg) about your complaint or in some cases (mainly complaints
between professionals) the European Patent Institute (EPi). Any complaint to the
IPReg must usually be made within twelve months of the date of the professional misconduct
alleged or your discovery of it but for further information, you should contact the
IPReg on 020 7353 4373 or via their Website www.ipreg.org.uk or by email to ipreg@ipreg.org.uk.
