This procedure covers complaints from professional and lay clients, and is applicable to any complaint, grievance or dispute raised against members and/or staff of Chartlands Chambers.
Chartlands Chambers Complaints Procedure
Overview
Chartlands Chambers is committed to providing a quality assured service at all times. However, should you have a complaint, you are invited to communicate with us as soon as possible. Complaints in the first instance can come to the Business Manager (email businessmanager@chartlands-chambers.co.uk)
Chartlands is dedicated to fully investigating and resolving, where possible, all complaints promptly and with its customers’ needs at the foremost.
How to make a complaint
You can make a complaint either by telephone or in writing. If you wish to discuss matters you should:
- Please telephone the Barrister concerned, or one of the Heads of Chambers (Mrs Jane Page or Mrs Joy Pinkham), if you prefer.
- The person you contact will fully record the details of your complaint, and the action you would like done about it. He/she will discuss your concerns with you and aim to resolve them immediately.
- If the matter is resolved, he/she will record the outcome, confirm you are satisfied with the outcome and record such. You may also wish to record the outcome of the telephone discussions in writing.
- If matters cannot be resolved during that call, the process for dealing with complaints received in writing will be followed which is set out below.
Please address written communication to the Management Committee, Chartlands Chambers, 34 Billing Road, Northampton NN1 5DQ. You may also submit a written complaint via e-mail. You should e-mail businessmanager@chartlands-chambers.co.uk
The complaint should include:
- your name and address
- which member(s) of chambers or staff you have a complaint about
- the details of your complaint
- the action you would like to see taken
The Management Committee is headed by the two Heads of Chambers Mrs Jane Page and Mrs Joy Pinkham, and also includes a further experienced member of Chambers.
Your complaint will be acknowledged within 5 working days, confirming that within 14 days the management committee will appoint a member of the management committee to investigate the matter. The person appointed will in every case, be someone other than the person you are complaining about.
He/she will, once appointed, will write to you confirming:
- Their understanding of your complaint, and asking for further information should that be necessary.
- Your complaint will then be reviewed, a discussion may take place between appointed person and the person who has had conduct of your file, if it is necessary to address your concerns. This will take place within 14 working days of your providing further information or clarification that the summary is correct.
- You will then be written to setting out views of your complaint and making any proposal for resolution, within 7 working days of completing the review. You will be asked to provide any further comments and to consider any resolution that is being proposed.
- If you provide any further comments, these will be addressed within 7 working days of receipt of those further comments.
NB These time limits are a guide only and may be exceeded:
in exceptional circumstances
- because of the work involved in addressing the matters you raise
- because of the absence of the lawyer or a similar event.
- If timescales have to change you will be notified in writing
If you still remain unhappy, you can raise your concerns with The Legal Ombudsman whose contact details are as follows:
Legal Ombudsman,
PO Box 6806
Wolverhampton
WV1 9WJ
Once you have been through our complaint procedure as set out above, or 8 weeks has elapsed, you are able to approach The Legal Ombudsman. Their contact details are: PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
Tel: 0300 555 0333
e-mail: enquires@legalombudsman.org.uk
Any referral has to be made to The Legal Ombudsman within 6 months of receiving a final response to your complaint from chambers, providing the response specifically notifies you of your right to complain to the Ombudsman and of the six month time-limit). In any event you must raise the formal complaint within 6 years of the incident giving rise to the complaint: this timescale being applicable after 6 October 2010. If your complaint relates to an incident prior to this date, you must raise the issues within 3 years of when you reasonably should have known you had a complaint.
Please find below links to The Legal Ombudsman’s complaints data:
Ombudsman decision data | Legal Ombudsman
And a link to the Barrister’s Register where you are able to find details of Barristers practising certificates and practising areas: