Complaints Policy
Introduction
- Eadala Chambers and its sole Barrister strive to achieve excellence in client care. However, should you be dissatisfied for any reason and wish to make a complaint, you have the right to do so.
- Chambers takes complaints very seriously and shall investigate thoroughly and fairly, all complains received. Chambers shall deal promptly with complaints and you shall be kept informed about the investigation process.
- Chambers’ Barrister and employees, if any, shall have regard to guidance published from time to time by the Bar Standards Board, in relation to redress transparency.
How to complain
- Should you wish to complain about our sole barrister, you may telephone Chambers on 0113 871 5786, and report the complaint orally, to the Head of Chambers, Muneeb Akram.
- Alternatively, a written complaint should be made to the Head of Chambers, either by email or by letter using the following contact details.
Email: clerks@eadalachambers.com
Address: Linley House, Dickinson Street, Manchester, M1 4LF, United Kingdom
- Please set out within your complaint your full name and contact details, the events or conduct complained of and the resolution or outcome that you are seeking.
Chambers’ Response
- All complaints shall be acknowledged by the Head of Chambers in writing, promptly and by no later than 7 days from receipt of your complaint.
- When acknowledging a complaint, you shall be given:
(a) the name of the person who will investigate and deal with the complaint (“the complaint handler”) and a description of that person’s role in Chambers;
(b) a copy of this Complaints Handling Policy; and
(c) the date by which you will next hear from the complaint handler.
- The complaint handler shall endeavour to provide a substantive response, recording the outcome of the complaint and any resolutions proposed, within 4 weeks of acknowledging the receipt of the complaint. Should the complaint handler be unable to serve their response within this timeframe, they shall immediately inform you of this fact and confirm the expected date of service of their response to the complaint. This extended date shall be no later than 8 weeks from the receipt of your complaint.
- When the complaint handler has dealt with your complaint, you shall be told in writing of your right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman (where applicable), of the time limit for doing so, and how to contact them. This information is also set out below.
Confidentiality and Record Keeping
- All communications and documents relating to complaints shall be kept confidential. They shall be disclosed only so far as is necessary for:
(a) the investigation and resolution of the complaint;
(b) internal review in order to improve Chambers’ handling of complaints; or
(c) complying with requests from the Bar Standards Board in the exercise of its monitoring and/or auditing functions.
- A record shall be kept by Chambers of each complaint, of all steps taken in response to it, and of the outcome of the complaint. Copies of all correspondence, including electronic mail, and all other documents generated in response to the complaint shall also be kept.
- The records and copies of complaints shall be kept for 6 years from resolution of the complaint.
- Eadala Chambers has appointed a Complaints Manager, Muneeb Akram, who is responsible for the administration of Chambers’ complaints procedure.
Legal Ombudsman Rights
- You may complain to the Legal Ombudsman if you are unhappy with the final response to your complaint, or if Chambers has not provided a substantive response to your complaint, within eight weeks of the acknowledgment of the receipt of your complaint.
- Should you wish to complain to the Legal Ombudsman, you must complain to them either within six years of the relevant Barrister’s actions or failure to act, or no later than three years after you should reasonably have known there were grounds to complain. You must also complain to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving your final response to your complaint.
- Clients who have a right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman are individuals and, broadly speaking, small businesses and charities. The full list of who has a right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman is available on their website:
You can write to the Legal Ombudsman at:
Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
Telephone number: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
More information about the Legal Ombudsman is available on their website:
http://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/
- The decision data on the Legal Ombudsman’s website shows providers who received an ombudsman’s decision in the previous 12 months. In each case, the data shows whether the Legal Ombudsman required the provider to give the consumer a remedy.
The link to the decision data on the Legal Ombudsman’s website is:
http://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/raising-standards/data-and-decisions/#ombudsmandecision-data