Complaints Procedure

Our Complaints Policy

We are committed to providing a high quality legal service to all of our clients. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to improve our standards. If you have a complaint, please contact us with the details either by email, letter, phone or in person.

Procedure

What will happen next?

Your complaint will be referred to our Complaints Handling Partner, Elvis Kesic, within 24 hours of receipt or at the earliest opportunity.
We will endeavour to acknowledge receipt of your complaint within three working days of receiving it, enclosing a copy of this Procedure. If we are unable to acknowledge receipt within that time, we will do so within a reasonable period of time.
We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve Mr Kesic reviewing your matter and speaking to the member of staff who acted for you.
We will respond in writing within fourteen days of sending you the acknowledgment letter, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons. If, for any reason, we are unable to respond within that timeframe, we shall respond within a reasonable period. We may, if necessary, invite you to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint.
If a meeting is necessary, within three working days of the meeting, Mr Kesic will write to you to confirm what took place and any solution that has been agreed with you.
There may be circumstances in which the Firm may refer the complaint and our response to another Partner for a further review. If the Firm exercises the discretion to make this decision, this will be confirmed in writing. Please note that we are not obliged to refer the matter to another Partner if the final position has been confirmed in previous correspondence.
If you are still not satisfied, you can contact The Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ about your complaint. From 1 April 2023, any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about, or one year from the date when the complainant should have realised that there was cause for complaint. For further information, you should contact the Legal Ombudsman on 0300 550333 or at enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk. Please note that the Legal Ombudsman will normally expect you to use our internal complaints procedure before they will investigate.
Alternative Dispute Resolution - Alternative complaints bodies such as ProMediate, Brow Farm, Top Road, Frodsham, Cheshire WA6 6SP found at https://www.promediate.co.uk/, exist who are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our Firm wish to use such a scheme. We do not agree to use ProMediate. In the United Kingdom, we believe that the Legal Ombudsman’s scheme is the most suitable for legal complaints.

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

April 2024

Our Third Party Complaints Policy

All Firms of Solicitors must comply with their professional obligations and code of conduct. As a result, the Firm has a duty to act in the best interests of its clients, which can on occasions result in third parties objecting to such actions, instructions or correspondence and wishing to submit a complaint. Angels Solicitors LLP is committed to providing a high quality legal service to all of our clients and individuals receiving the benefit of a legal service and will therefore try to address any complaints that may be raised by any individual. Having said that, third party complaints will be addressed in accordance this Procedure and at the discretion of the Firm as to whether such a third party complaint can be dealt with.

If you are a third party and wish to make a complaint, we would ask that this be made in writing, either by email or by post.

Who Can Complain

If you are a third party and wish to make a complaint, this will depend upon the circumstances of the particular matter and whether the Firm has provided a legal service to you. It may be that any complaints can be dealt with as part of the overall matter process which the parties are involved in, such as for example in open correspondence rather than a separate complaint matter.
It is important to note that, if you are the other side to a matter, Solicitors are prevented from corresponding directly with that individual if they are legally represented without that Solicitor’s consent. All correspondence should therefore be directed through your own Solicitor if you are legally represented. Please also note that this Firm must comply with its duty of confidentiality and its obligations to the client which could affect the Firm’s ability to deal with your complaint.
Any complaint made by a third party will need to be issued in writing, which will be referred to our Complaints Handling Partner, Elvis Kesic, at the earliest opportunity.
If the Firm is able to deal with your complaint, the Firm’s Complaints Handling Procedure shall be followed as set out below.
If it is decided that the Firm is unable to investigate the complaint, this will be confirmed to you in writing and the reasons why the Firm is unable to investigate such a complaint.

Who Should I Complain To/Procedure

If we are able to investigate your complaint, what will happen next?

Your complaint should be sent to the Fee Earner with conduct of the matter, which will be referred to our Complaints Handling Partner, Elvis Kesic, at the earliest opportunity.
We will endeavour to acknowledge receipt of your complaint within three working days of receiving it, enclosing a copy of this Procedure. If we are unable to acknowledge receipt within that time, we will do so within a reasonable period of time.
We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve Mr Kesic reviewing your matter and speaking to the member of staff involved in the matter.
We will respond in writing within fourteen days of sending you the acknowledgment letter, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons. If, for any reason, we are unable to respond within that timeframe, we shall respond within a reasonable period. We may, if necessary, invite you to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint.
If a meeting is necessary, within three working days of the meeting, Mr Kesic will write to you to confirm what took place and any solution that has been agreed with you.
There may be circumstances in which the Firm may refer the complaint and our response to another Partner for a further review. If the Firm exercises the discretion to make this decision, this will be confirmed in writing. Please note that we are not obliged to refer the matter to another Partner if the final position has been confirmed in previous correspondence.
If you are still not satisfied, you can contact The Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ about your complaint. From 1 April 2023, any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about, or one year from the date when the complainant should have realised that there was cause for complaint. For further information, you should contact the Legal Ombudsman on 0300 550333 or at enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk. Please note that the Legal Ombudsman will normally expect you to use our internal complaints procedure before they will investigate.
Alternative Dispute Resolution - Alternative complaints bodies such as ProMediate, Brow Farm, Top Road, Frodsham, Cheshire WA6 6SP found at https://www.promediate.co.uk/, exist who are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our Firm wish to use such a scheme. We do not agree to use ProMediate. In the United Kingdom, we believe that the Legal Ombudsman’s scheme is the most suitable for legal complaints.