Complaints Procedure

We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to our clients. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to sort out any mistakes or misunderstandings, and to improve our standards.

If you have a complaint, please raise the problem with the lawyer responsible for your matter, or if you prefer, our complaints partner, Mr Michael Leighton Jones. He can be contacted at our Bargoed Office  on 01443 830228

Alternatively, you may put your complaint in writing to – Michael Leighton Jones 53 Hanbury Road Bargoed CF81 8XD or email mike@michaelleightonjones.com

What will happen next?

1. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint in writing within three working days of receiving it.
2. We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve our complaints partner reviewing your file and speaking to the member of staff who acted for you.
3. Within 14 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter our complaints partner will invite you to a meeting to discuss and resolve your complaint. If you do not want a meeting or it is not possible, our complaints partner may instead offer you a chance to discuss the matter by telephone.
4. Within three working days of the meeting, or any telephone conversation we have with you instead of a meeting, our complaints partner will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions we have agreed with you.
5. In any case he will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including his suggestions for resolving the matter, within 21 days of sending you the written acknowledgement of your complaint referred to in paragraph 1 above.
6. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will arrange for another partner or someone unconnected with the matter at the firm to review the decision or an appropriate alternative such as review by another local solicitor or mediation to review the 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.
8. If we have to change any of these time frames we will let you know and explain
   why.
9. If you are still not satisfied, you can contact the Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ about your complaint. Any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within six months of the date of our final written response on your complaint but for further information, you should contact the Legal Ombudsman on 0300 555 0333 or at enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk. Note that the Legal Ombudsman service cannot be used by businesses or most other organisations unless they are below certain size limits. Further details are available from the Legal Ombudsman.
10. If a complaint cannot be resolved you may also be able to ask for it to be referred to a process of alternative dispute resolution using a certified provider. We are not required to agree to such a request. In any case this is not available to businesses, only consumers. We will give you more information about that right if it becomes relevant.
11. If your complaint is about our bill, you have a right to assessment of the bill by the Court under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. There are rules about the timescale for using this procedure.