complaints procedure

At Moreland & Co we endeavour to provide the highest level of service to you.
 

If at any time you are dissatisfied with the service you are receiving, or have a problem or complaint, please contact us immediately so that we can use our best endeavours  to resolve the problem for you.
 

We suggest:
 

1. In the first instance, please contact the fee earner dealing with your matter to discuss your concerns, if you do not wish to do so, or have done so and you are still dissatisfied with the outcome, then,
 

2. Contact our Senior Director, Danny Dionissiou either by telephone on 020 8364 3677 or by email to dnd@morelandlaw.co.uk
 

What Happens Next?
 

You will be sent a letter and/or email  acknowledging your complaint and asking you to confirm or explain the details.
 

Your complaint will be recorded in the central register and open a file will be opened for  your complaint. This will be done within a day of receiving your complaint.

 

We will then investigate your complaint. This may involve one or more of the following steps:
 

If Mr Dionissiou acted for you, he will either send you a detailed reply or invite you to a meeting to discuss the matter. This will be done within 14 days.​
 

If someone else acted for you, Mr Dionissiou will raise the matter with the fee earner involved (within one day) and will ask them to comment to your complaint (within 5 days).
 

Mr Dionissiou will then examine their reply and the information in your complaint file.
 

Mr Dionissiou will then invite you to a meeting  to discuss the issues raised and the comments in response. Nevertheless, our aim will be to resolve the complaint. This will usually be done  within three days of the conclusion of our investigation into your complaint.
 

Within five days of the meeting, Mr Dionissiou will write to you to confirm the outcome of the meeting.
 

In the event that you do not want a meeting or it is not practicable to hold one, then you will be sent a detailed reply to your complaint. This will include any suggestions for resolving the matter. This will be done within five days of completing the  investigations into your complaint.
 

At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, please contact us so that we may arrange to review the decision. This may happen in one of the following ways:
 

Mr Dionissiou will review the decision within five days.
 

Mr Dionissiou will arrange for someone who is not connected with the complaint to review the decision (within 10 days).
 

You will be invited to independent mediation. (You will be advised as to the expected time scale at the time).
 

You will be advised as to the result of the review within five days of the end of the review.  At this time, you will be advised of the firm’s final position on your complaint together with our reasons for reaching such decision.
 

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

Should you remain dissatisfied at the conclusion of our complaints procedure you may involve the Legal Ombudsman, an independent body set up to investigate complaints about lawyers.

Legal Ombudsman

We are permitted a period of eight weeks to consider the complaint. If for any reason we are unable to resolve the problem between us within that timeframe, then our clients are advised that they may ask the Legal Ombudsman to consider the complaint.

Clients are free to refer any complaint about our work, fees, or level of service but there are some conditions and time limits. Please be aware that any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within 6 months of the client having received a final written response from us about their complaint. Complaints to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within one year of the act or omission about which the client is complaining occurring; or within one year from when the client should have known about or become aware that there were grounds for complaint.

For further information, please contact the Legal Ombudsman on 0300 555 0333 or visit

www.legalombudsman.org.uk. The Legal Ombudsman may be contacted at PO Box 6806,

Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ.

Solicitors Regulation Authority

You may also complain to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) if you think we have breached an SRA Principle or are guilty of dishonesty or discrimination.

The SRA’s contact details are as follows:

Post – The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham, B1 1RN

Telephone – 0370 606 2555

Email – report@sra.org.uk