Have you got a complaint against Ervaid Law?

We hope that you will never have reason to complain about our service to you; however, if something does go wrong, please bring it to our attention as soon as you can. We will try to resolve the matter fairly and quickly. We will apologise if need be and do our best to offer a practical solution. The firm’s Complaints Manager is Nazira Rahman, who is responsible for this procedure. Ms Rahman can be contacted via email at [email protected] or by post at 124 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX. If your complaint is in relation to the conduct of our Complaints Manager, we will make alternative arrangements for the investigation and handling of your complaint.

There is a body called the Legal Ombudsman, an independent body that handles complaints about legal services. Its details are The Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ, telephone 0300 555 0333. Their email address is [email protected] and their website address is www.legalombudsman.org.uk.

A preliminary point

Solicitors are entitled to reasonably refuse requests for legal assistance and representation. Refusals must not be based on age, disability, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or other personal characteristic. Reasonable reasons to refuse to provide a service include that we are too busy, that the client is unable to fund the work required, that the matter is outside our expertise, and that the case is too difficult or complex.

We will have provided you with the reason why we cannot assist you when responding to your request for assistance. If you are unhappy with our response you may wish first to contact the lawyer who reviewed your enquiry. However, if you are not comfortable speaking to that lawyer, you can also ask to speak to their supervisor or the Complaints Manager, Nazira Rahman.

How do I complain?

We much prefer that substantial or complicated complaints are dealt with in writing – we do not have any set forms that we use for this purpose. However, we realise that not all individuals may be able to formulate a detailed letter. In such cases, a telephone call will do, during which we will make a note of the issues and then send that to you for comment. This document will then form the basis of the complaint.

We are committed to high-quality legal advice and client care and are keen to resolve any concerns as soon as possible, and in order to do this, we will follow our complaints handling procedure.

We will endeavour to handle your complaint promptly, fairly, and free of charge.

Who do I complain to?

Our Complaints Manager Nazira Rahman.

What will happen next?

Step One: If they have not already done so, we ask our clients to let us know the full nature of the problem.

Step Two: Our Complaints Handling Representative will write to the client acknowledging their complaint within five working days. In this letter, we shall confirm what happens next.

Step Three: Our Complaints Manager shall then investigate the matter by reviewing the matter file and speaking to the member of staff concerned within ten working days of acknowledging receipt of the complaint. If, for some reason, the matter cannot be investigated in this timeframe, then we will write to the client notifying them of this together with the reason why and giving a revised timescale.

Once the investigation has been completed, our Complaints Manager shall invite the client to a meeting to discuss the issue(s) they have raised and hopefully resolve the complaint. This could be a meeting, video conference call or telephone call and the client’s preference will be taken into account along as well as how best the matter may be dealt with. This process of engagement will take place within ten working days of our concluding the investigation of the matter. Following the meeting or call, our Complaints Manager shall write to the client within five working days of the meeting or call to confirm the discussion and the solution agreed upon.

If the client does not want to or is unable to attend such a meeting or engage in a discussion (or the meeting or call is not necessary), we will be happy to send the client a detailed, written response, including the proposed solution, within fifteen working days of our concluding the investigation of the matter.

Step Four: If the client is satisfied with our response following the above steps, that will be the end of the matter. However, if the client is not satisfied, they will be invited to contact our Complaints Manager again, and they will arrange for another senior member of staff who is unconnected with the matter to review the decision. They will write to the client within ten working days of receiving the request with confirmation of the firm’s final position in relation to the complaint, outlining the reasons and any final redress that is offered.

Step Five: Other avenues Clients must always try complaining to us first. In most cases, they will not be able to take their complaint further without allowing us the opportunity to put things right.

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. 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 from when the client should have known about or become aware that there were grounds for complaint. If failed to complete your complaint within the new timeframe, it is unlikely that your complaint will be investigated.

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 If someone thinks a solicitor might be dishonest or you have concerns about their ethics or integrity, they have the right to notify our regulator, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). There are no time limits for making a report but there are limits on what the SRA will consider. 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). For further information about the SRA’s role, please contact the SRA or visit: https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor.page#report.

Other points to note

Complaints regarding a data subject request under Data Protection Legislation are dealt with in accordance with this policy.

The Online Dispute Resolution website is an official website managed by the European Commission dedicated to helping consumers and on-traders resolve their disputes out-of-court. We currently do not use any ADR providers to resolve complaints, including those which the ODR Platform transmits complaints to, but unresolved complaints about our services will be dealt with by the Legal Ombudsman under the statutory complaints scheme.