At Ellisons, we are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all our clients and when something goes wrong, we want to encourage you to tell us about it. This will help you and help us to improve our standards.
We strive to deliver the best possible service. However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service we provide, then you should inform us immediately so that we can do our best to resolve your concerns. If you have a complaint or observation about our service, please say so and follow the following steps to ensure that your concerns are resolved quickly:
If after these stages your complaint remains unresolved, please contact our Head of Compliance who will investigate the matter for you. You can email them at ClientCare@ellisonssolicitors.com with the details or write to them at Headgate Court, Head Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1NP.
What will happen next: Formal Complaints Procedure
What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint
If you are still not satisfied with our final response or our suggestions for resolution then, you can then contact the Legal Ombudsman. They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case. Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have not done this then they may refer you back to us.
Please note that when referring your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, you must usually refer your complaint:
Further details are available on their website.
You can contact the Legal Ombudsman either by telephone: 0300 555 0333, or by writing to them at The Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ. Their website address is www.legalombudsman.org.uk and their email address is enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help you if you are concerned about our conduct. This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money, or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic. You can raise your concerns through their website: www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor/
Alternative complaints bodies such as ProMediate (www.promediate.co.uk) exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our firm wish to use such a scheme.
What will it cost?
We will not charge for handling your complaint.
Please note that if we have issued a bill for work done on the matter and or all some of the bill is not paid, we are entitled to charge interest on the amount outstanding.
The Legal Ombudsman service is free of charge.