Complaints Procedure

Our complaints policy

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 have a complaint, please contact us with the details. We do not charge for time spent investigating your complaint.

Write to us at:

Holmes & Hills Solicitors
A12 Commercial Hub
London Road
Marks Tey | Colchester
Essex | CO6 1ED

Or send us an email:

What will happen next?

1. We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within three days of receiving it, enclosing a copy of this procedure.

2. We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to our Managing Partner who will review your matter file and speak to the member of staff who acted for you. 

3. Our Managing Partner will then either write to you with a response to your complaint or alternatively invite you to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. This will be within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.

4. Within three days of any meeting occurring, our Managing Partner will write to you to confirm what took place and the solution that has been agreed with you.

5. Whilst our Managing Partner may in the first instance decide to write to you with a response, if at any time you would specifically like a meeting, either before or after our response, please let us know.  We will then arrange a meeting at a mutually convenient date and time and within 3 days of that meeting will write further to you.

6. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will arrange for another Partner to review the original decision.
   
7. We will write to you within 14 days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.

If you are still not satisfied, you can then contact Legal Ombudsman (LeO) at PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH about your complaint. Any complaint to LeO must usually be referred within six months of receiving a final written response from us about your complaint and within 1 year of the act or omission about which you are complaining occurring (or within 1 year of you becoming aware of it).

For more information on LeO service go to Consumer journey | Legal Ombudsman and please find the Scheme Rules at: Scheme Rules | Legal Ombudsman or you may contact LeO on 0300 555 0333 or enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk.

Alternative complaints bodies (such as Ombudsman Services, ProMediate and Small Claims Mediation) exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our firm wish to use such a scheme.  We are not obliged to use such an alternative, but if requested we will give due consideration.

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

Most service complaints are likely to be managed within the remit of the Legal Ombudsman but if there are other issues about our conduct and professionalism that you wish to complain about, then they can be directed to the Solicitors Regulation Authority at www.sra.org.uk.