Complaints
Obviously, I intend to satisfy all my clients with an exceptional quality of service. But if you wish to complain, Outer Temple’s complaints procedure explains how you can set about doing so.
If you are still not happy after talking to Chambers, you may take up your complaint with the Legal Ombudsman (LeO), the independent complaints body for complaints about lawyers. The LeO is not able to consider your complaint until it has first been investigated by Chambers.
You can contact the LeO via phone (0300 555 0333); via email (enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk) or via their website (https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/). A record of all LeO decisions can be found here.
Please do note that the LeO has a time limit for investigating complaints. You have to complain within six months of receiving Chambers’ final response to your complaint; and also within six years of the action or failure to act about which you first complained, or no later than three years after you should reasonably have known there were grounds to complain.
Mediation complaints
For my work as a mediator, please note that if you are not happy with the outcome of Chambers’ complaints procedure, you also have the option of complaining to the Civil Mediation Council (“CMC”), of which I’m a member. Its complaints procedure is here, and you can complain by writing to the CMC’s secretariat at secretariat@civilmediation.org. The critical point to note is that the time limits for a complaint to the CMC are much shorter than those of the LeO: the complaint must reach the CMC within one month of conclusion of consideration of the complaint by Chambers and in any event within 6 months of the events giving rise to the complaint. Complaints received outside these time limits will only be accepted at the discretion of the CMC.