Should you have a complaint that you wish to raise, we wish to know about it. You can find our Client Complaint Procedure below.
Client Complaint Procedure
1. 33 Bedford Row chambers aims to provide an excellent quality of service at all times. We value feedback of any kind which is used to improve our service provision and to recognise success.
2. If, however, you have a complaint about the services provided to you by a member of chambers or a clerk we invite you to use the complaint procedure set out below. The procedure is intended to be simple and straightforward with a view to achieving resolution at the earliest opportunity.
3. Our procedure is free and you do not need to use the services of a solicitor or professional. We invite you to raise any issue of complaint as soon as reasonable practicable on the basis that the older the complaint the more difficult it can be to investigate it fully and fairly. If for any reason you consider yourself vulnerable or in need of special consideration please let us know and we will do our best to agree with you any reasonable adjustments to assist you in making your complaint.
4. We ask that you make any complaint as soon as possible after the event. Normally, complaints more than 6 months old are difficult to investigate in any detail though we treat any complaint on its merits and consider any special circumstances.
5. Please address all complaints to complaints@33br.co.uk. Either one of the senior clerks or a member of the complaints committee will be pleased to help you and will try in the first instance to see if matters can be put right informally and promptly.
6. If your complaint cannot be resolved informally and you wish to proceed with a formal written complaint then please ensure you provide the following:
• Your name and contact details.
• The name of the person complained about.
• The precise nature of the complaint, what happened, when and where.
• How you would like the complaint to be resolved.
Time scales for resolution
7. Chambers aims to acknowledge all written complaints within 5 working days of receipt. We try to expedite dealing with your complaint by using email wherever possible but it is not necessary to use email if this is not convenient for you. We aim to bring the process to a conclusion within 28 days though if the complaint is complex or requires a response from someone outside of chambers (such as a solicitor) it may take a little longer.
How the procedure works
8. Upon receipt of your formal complaint an investigation is undertaken which includes showing your complaint to the person complained of and asking for their response to the matters you have raised. Any other relevant information is also obtained where possible. The complaints committee will then respond to you.
9. This substantive reply will include:
• The nature and scope of any investigation.
• A conclusion on each complaint and the basis for the conclusion.
• In the case of a complaint which is found to be justified, proposals for resolution.
10. If you wish to respond to this substantive reply, the complaints committee will consider what further action, if any, is required. A response will then be sent to you.
Confidentiality
11. All conversations and documents relating to the complaint will be treated as confidential and will be disclosed only to the extent that it is necessary to investigate and respond to any complaint. Disclosure will be to anyone involved in the complaint and its investigation. The Bar Standards Board is entitled to inspect the documents and seek information about the complaint when it is discharging its auditing and monitoring functions.
12. Please note that complaints about a barrister’s performance of their professional duties on your behalf will waive any confidentiality that might otherwise attach to any advice given or instructions received whether written or oral. This material can form part of any consideration of and response to a complaint.
13. Finally, complaints will be discussed with the clerks where it is necessary to look at issues arising relating to service protocols.
14. As part of our commitment to client care, we create a record of formal complaints and retain them for a period of at least 6 years. Records are inspected periodically with a view to improving services.
Complaints to the Legal Services Ombudsman
15. If you are unhappy with our final response to your complaint, or if we have not provided a final response within eight weeks of receiving your complaint, you may refer the matter to the Legal Ombudsman.
16. The Legal Ombudsman is an independent complaints body established under the Legal Services Act 2007. Their service is free to use.
17. You must refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:
no later than one year from the date of the act or omission about which you are complaining; or
no later than one year from the date when you should reasonably have known that there was cause for complaint.
18. If our final response letter includes the Legal Ombudsman’s contact details and a warning about the six-month time limit, you must refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of the date of that final response.
Legal Ombudsman Contact Details
19. You can contact the Legal Ombudsman at:
Legal Ombudsman
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Telephone: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Postal address: PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
20. Further information about the Legal Ombudsman and how to make a complaint can be found on their website.
Information on the Legal Ombudsman's Scheme Rules
21. You can find the Scheme Rules + Guidance about the Scheme Rules, on the Legal Ombudsman’s website, here:
22. In particular, a guide to the Scheme Rules can be found on the Legal Ombudsman’s website, here.
23. Frequently Asked Questions can be found on the Legal Ombudsman’s website, here:
24. Please consider the Ombudsman’s website for the most up to date information and guidance on any time limits that may affect you and any relevant guidance on the service.
Legal Ombudsman Decision Data
25. You can access the Legal Ombudsman's Decision Data here. The decision data on Legal Ombudsman's website shows legal service providers which received an ombudsman’s decision in the previous 12 months. In each case, the data shows whether the Legal Ombudsman required the legal services provider to give the consumer a remedy.
Legal Ombudsman's Discretion to Consider a Complaint Resolved
26. Since April 2023, the Legal Ombudsman has had a discretion to consider a complaint to have been resolved on the basis of an investigator’s case decision, if neither party provides any substantive reasons for disagreeing with that decision.
27. If the response received to a case decision is one simply of disagreement, where no substantive reason is provided as to why the party disagrees, the matter will be referred to an Legal Ombudsman who will have discretion to make the decision to close the complaint as having been resolved by way of the investigator’s findings. If those findings recommend that a remedy is payable then the Legal Ombudsman would expect the service provider to honour that recommendation. If the service provider fails to do so within a defined period of time, then the complainant could then request that the case be passed to an Legal Ombudsman for a decision which can then be enforced through the courts if necessary.
Civil Mediation Council Mediators - Complaints to the Civil Mediation Council
28. For complaints against Civil Mediation Council ('CMC') registered mediators, in respect to relevant mediation work, if the response is not accepted, the complainant can appeal to the CMC on certain grounds. Details of the CMC complaints procedure can be found, by clicking here