Our Commitment
At SBW Law we are committed to providing a comprehensive and top-quality legal service to all of our clients. However, if you ever feel that we have fallen below these high standards then you should inform us of this to help us to improve in any way we can.
We treat all complaints extremely seriously any feedback that we receive from our customers is invaluable in improving service standards.
Making a Complaint
If you have any concerns about how your claim is being handled then please first raise the issue with your file handler. In most cases, an informal conversation with your file handler will resolve any issues that you have.
However, if you do not feel that your concerns have been resolved then you may escalate your complaint to the Complaints Partner so that your concerns can be investigated formally through the firm’s Complaints Policy. Our Complaints Partner is Craig Ralph who can be contacted at: complaints@sbwlaw.co.uk or by post at: SBW Law, 10.2 The Matchworks, Speke Road, Liverpool, L19 2RF.
If the matter is escalated to our Complaints Partner then your complaint will be acknowledged within 1 week. We will then investigate your concerns and formally respond to the same within 8 weeks.
Referral to the Legal Ombudsman
If we are unable to resolve your complaint then you can refer the matter to the Legal Ombudsman to be independently reviewed.
The Legal Ombudsman can investigate complaints up to 12 months from the date of the issue occurring or within 12 months of when you found out about the problem. If you wish to refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman then this must be done within six months of our final response to your complaint. If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman their contact details are:
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Telephone: 0300 565 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Address: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
Do not send original documents to the Legal Ombudsman. They will scan any documents you send us to make computer copies and then destroy the originals.
Querying Your Bill
We must also advise you that you have the right to object to our bill by making a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman. You may also have a right to apply to the court for assessment of our bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. Please note that the Legal Ombudsman may not deal with your complaint if you have already applied to the court for assessment of your bill.
If all or part of our bill remains unpaid while you dispute it, the firm may be entitled to charge interest.
What to do if you are unhappy with our behaviour
The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help if you are concerned about our behaviour. 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.
Visit their website to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.