Complaints

We want to give you the best possible service. However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service we have provided then you should inform us immediately, so that we can do our best to resolve your problem.

In the first instance it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your matter 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 please read our full complaints procedure as below.   Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case, and the complaint will be dealt with promptly, fairly and free of charge.

Complaints Procedure

Please put your complaint in writing, addressed to Dan Evans, Cozens-Hardy LLP, Castle Chambers, Opie Street, Norwich NR1 3DP, who has overall responsibility for handling any complaints.   In your complaint please tell us what you think we have got wrong, and how you would like your complaint to be resolved.

Dan Evans, or in his absence a deputy, will acknowledge your complaint in writing within 4 working days of its receipt.    You will be told the name of the person who will deal with your complaint.   In some situations it will be better if the complaint is dealt with by another partner who is a specialist in the relevant sector of the law

The complaint will then be investigated.  This will usually involve reviewing the file and speaking to the members of staff involved in the work for you.    You may be asked for more details of the complaint.

In some cases you will be invited you to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. This will usually be within a further 7 to 21 days but this will depend on the nature of the complaint.   Following any such meeting we will write to you to confirm the key points discussed at the meeting and any solutions or other steps that were agreed.

If a meeting is not practicable or you do not want to attend a meeting we will write to you with a response to your complaint, including any suggestions for resolving the complaint.   This will usually be within 21 days of the initial acknowledgement letter.

If you ask us to look at the matter further then we will seek to respond within a further 14 days of your request.   If you do not respond to any correspondence we send you within two months of us sending it to you, then that correspondence shall stand as our final written response to your complaint.

If your complaint is not resolved within 8 weeks of it being made or we have reached the end of the complaints process (when we will confirm our final position) you may be able to ask the Legal Ombudsman to look at the complaint.    Please note that this service is only available to members of the public, very small businesses, charities, clubs and trusts.   They will look at your complaint independently.  Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first.   Normally you will need to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within 6 months of receiving a final written response from us about your complaint, and:

• No more than six years from the date of act/omission; or
• No more than three years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.

However, please note that from 1st April 2023 these time limits are changing. From 1st April 2023 the Legal Ombudsman expects complaints to be made to them within a year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned or within a year of you realising there was a concern. The requirement to refer to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response to you will remain the same.

Although the Legal Ombudsman service is free and we do not charge you for handling a complaint if we have sent you a bill for work done on your matter, and all or part of the bill is not paid, we can require this to be settled in full pending a decsion by the Legal Ombudsman.

If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman you can contact them as follows:

Visit their website at: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

Telephone : 0300 555 0333 between 9am and 5pm

Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

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

Alternative complaints bodies exist which seek to deal with complaints by consumers about legal services through mediation or similar “alternative dispute resolution” procedures.   We do not agree to use any such scheme.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority is a regulator, not a complaints service but they may be able to help you if you are concerned about the behaviour of a solicitor.  This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other protected characteristic.    You can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority by clicking here.