Complaints procedure
Kingswell Watts is committed to high-quality legal advice and client care. If you are unhappy about any aspect of the service you have received, or your bill, then see the procedure below.
As a customer of Legal Services, you have the right to expect the highest possible standards of service and fairness from your lawyer. If you are unhappy with our service or the bill you must let us know first, so we can try to resolve your concerns.
Process
Please speak to the solicitor or fee earner handling your case to discuss your complaint.
If you cannot resolve your complaint this way or feel dissatisfied with the response please proceed to the next step.
Please raise your complaint with the solicitor or fee earner’s supervisor. If you are unaware of who this supervisor is, then please direct your complaint to either Asif Abubaker (unless it is one of his files that you wish to complain about) or to Ilyas Bulbulia (unless it is one of his files you wish to complain about.)
Your complaint in those circumstances will be directed to the appropriate director (the one that is not currently handling your file)
We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within 7 days of receiving the complaint, enclosing a copy of this procedure and our initial assessment of your complaint.
We will then investigate your complaint within 7 days of the acknowledgement letter and invite you to a meeting to discuss. We aim to resolve matters within 14 days of your request.
Within three days of the meeting, we will write to you to confirm that the meeting took place, and any solutions agreed with you.
If you do not want a meeting, or it is not possible, we will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including our suggestions for resolving the matter. This will occur within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
We reserve the right to insist upon a meeting if we have concerns about your capacity to make a complaint, or about the confidentiality of your affairs being broken.
At this stage, if you are still unsatisfied, you should contact us again explaining why and we will review your comments.
We will then write to you within 14 days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.
The Legal Ombudsman
If you are still not satisfied, you can make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman at:
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PO Box 15870,
Birmingham,
B30 9EB
Alternatively, you can contact The Legal Ombudsman on their website, or by phone on 0300 555 0333 and or by email enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk.
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Terms and conditions
The deadline for submitting is:
One year from the date of the act/omission that is the subject of the complaint,
OR
One year from the date when you reasonably become aware that there was a reason to complain.
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Furthermore, your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must be lodged within six months from the date of our final response to you.
In certain circumstances, the Legal Ombudsman may exercise discretion to extend the one-year period if it is deemed fair and reasonable based on the evidence provided.
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Solicitors Regulation Authority
(SRA)
If you are concerned that we haven’t adhered to the SRA Rules and Regulations you can report your concerns to the SRA:
Solicitors Regulation Authority,
The Cube
199 Wharfside Street
Birmingham
B1 1RN
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Alternatively, you can contact the SRA on their website, or by phone on 0370 606 2555 and or by email report@sra.org.uk.
Timescale for complaints
You should complain to us within a year from when you realise there is a concern.
You should then allow us at least 8 weeks to resolve your complaint.
Once this time has passed, if we have failed to deal with your complaint to your satisfaction, you can involve the Legal Ombudsman. You should approach that office within 6 months of receiving a final written response from us about your complaint.
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If needed, the Legal Ombudsman will carry out a formal investigation. As this could involve his office obtaining information from you and from us, it could take some time to deal with. Once accepted, the Ombudsman’s decision is final.
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The Legal Ombudsman service is free of charge.