Complaints Handling Policy

Our complaints policy

We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service and client care. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it, as we take all complaints very seriously. It is important to us to learn if the level of service does not meet your reasonable expectations so that we can deal with your complaint and this will help us improve and maintain our standards.

If you are a client and are unhappy about any aspect of the service you have received or wish to discuss an invoice we have delivered, you should inform us immediately so that we can do our best to resolve the problem for you. Please contact Hardeep Kular on 020 7060 1127 or by e-mail at hkk@hkklaw.com with the details of your complaint as soon as you can.

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;
• how you would like your complaint to be resolved

 
What will happen next?

1. We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint enclosing a copy of this procedure.

2. We will then investigate your complaint. This will be reviewed by the client care partner, Ms Hardeep Kular. As you will appreciate, she is a sole practitioner and there is no other partner or manager to review the file. Ms Hardeep Kular will take your complaint seriously and will investigate it properly and fairly.

3. Ms Hardeep Kular will aim to send you a full response within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.  If the matter is complex you may have to wait a little longer but will write to you within 21 days to provide a full update on progress and give you an estimate as to when we can provide a response.

4. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again with details within 5 working days and we will review the decision.

5. 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.

6. If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.

7. If we are unable to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction within eight weeks of receiving full details of your complaint, you can ask the Legal Ombudsman to consider your complaint. You have one year from the date of the act, or from when you should have realised there was an issue and six months from the date of our final letter in which to complain to the Legal Ombudsman.

Visit: http://www.legalombudsman.org.uk
By post at P O Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
Telephone on 0300 555 0333 (or +44 121 245 3050)
Minicom: 0300 555 1777
Email at enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk.

8. The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help you if you are concerned we have breached a regulatory obligation. You can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Please note that the SRA is not able to deal with issues of poor service (complaints of this nature should instead be referred to the Legal Ombudsman). The SRA can be contacted by the following means:

Via their website: https://www.sra.org.uk/home/contact-us/
Contact: https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor.page#report
Telephone: 0370 606 2555 / +44 (0)121 329 6800 (Monday to Friday: 08.00 to 17.00)
By post: Solicitors Regulation Authority, The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham, B1 1RN.

9. Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) bodies exist, which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our firm wish to use such a scheme. We have, however, chosen not to adopt an ADR process.

10. Please also use this procedure if you have a concern or complaint about a bill. In addition, you have the right to object to a bill by applying to the court for an assessment of the bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. If you take advantage of this procedure within a month from the date of our invoice, your right to a detailed assessment is unconditional. If you delay beyond a month the court may impose conditions. Once a year has elapsed since the date of the bill you will lose the right to a detailed assessment unless there are special circumstances. If you apply to the court, the Legal Ombudsman may decide not to deal with a complaint about the bill.