Complaints Policy

We are committed to providing a high quality legal service and to dealing with all our clients fairly. We acknowledge that we may not always get it right so if something has gone wrong, including in relation to the bill, we need you to inform us immediately, so that we can do our best to resolve the problem.

In the first instance it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your case to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues at this stage. If you would like to make a formal complaint, then you can read our full complaints procedure below. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case.

How do I make a complaint?

You can contact us in writing (by letter, fax or email) or by speaking with our Complaints Practice Manager, whose contact details are:

Complaints Practice Manager
Cader Solicitors
Airivo Chislehurst
1 Bromley Lane
Chislehurst
Kent 
BR7 6LH

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Email: info@cader-solicitors.co.uk 
Tel:  0208 0900 567
Fax: 01322 316042

To help us to understand your complaint, and in order that we do not miss anything, please tell us:

• your full name and contact details
• what you think we have got wrong and
• what you hope to achieve as a result of your complaint

How will you deal with my complaint?

We will record your complaint centrally.

We will write to you within three working days acknowledging your complaint, enclosing a copy of this policy.
We will investigate your complaint. This will usually involve:

• reviewing your complaint
• reviewing your file(s) and other relevant documents, and
• speaking with the person who dealt with your matter

We may also need to ask you for further information or documents. If so, we will ask you to provide the information within a specific period of time.

We will update you on the progress of your complaint at appropriate times.

We may also, if appropriate, invite you to a meeting to discuss your complaint. You do not have to attend if you do not wish to or if you are unable to. We will be happy to discuss the matter with you on the telephone.

We will write to you at the end of our investigation to tell you what we have done and what we propose to do to resolve your complaint. We will aim to do this within 21 days of the date of our letter of acknowledgement.

What if I am not satisfied with the outcome?

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If you are still unhappy with the outcome of our complaints handling procedure, please first let us know and we will review the matter.   If we have been unable to resolve your complaint satisfactorily and you remain unhappy with our response then you can refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, an independent complaints body established under the Legal Services Act, who can investigate complaints about the legal service you have received from us.

 

Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman.

 

The Legal Ombudsman expects complaints to be made to them within one year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned or within one year of you realising there was a concern.

 

You must also refer your concerns to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response to you.

 

The Legal Ombudsman’s contact details are: -

Telephone: 0300 555 0333 between 9am to 5pm.
Minicom: 0300 555 1777

Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

Post: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH

What will it cost?

We will not charge you for handling your complaint. Please note that if we have issued a bill for work done on the matter, and all or some of the bill is not paid, we may be entitled to charge interest on the amount outstanding.

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The Legal Ombudsman service is free of charge.

Solicitors Regulation Authority 

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can also help you if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.

You can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.