CALL US 
Scott-Moncrieff & Associates Ltd
Temple Chambers, 3-7 Temple Avenue, London EC4Y 0HP
Tel: 020 3972 9011
Fax: 020 3905 2811
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Complaint Handling Procedure:
We are sorry that you have found it necessary to make a complaint. We aim to provide a high-quality legal service to all our clients. When something goes wrong we will do our best to put it right as quickly and as straightforwardly as possible.
Clients must address any complaints in writing to the “Practice Director”, who will review the matter and assign a complaint handler to investigate. You can complain about problems that have caused you inconvenience or distress or financial loss during the conduct of your case. If you are a privately paying client you may complain about any bill of costs we send to you. This leaflet explains how we handle complaints.
Scomo internal procedure
When we receive a complaint we have 8 weeks in which to investigate it and then try to resolve it to your satisfaction. After that you can take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman for England & Wales.
Within seven days of receiving a formal complaint the Practice Director will decide who is going to deal with it and we will send you a letter acknowledging your complaint and giving you the name of the complaint handler. The complaint handler may contact you to confirm or explain any details of your complaint so that we understand your concern fully. We will open a file for your complaint and record it in our central register.
Within eight weeks we will write to you again with our initial response including our suggestions for putting matters right if they have gone wrong. We will invite you to respond. In appropriate cases we might offer an apology, a reduction of any bill or a repayment in relation to any payment received.
If the issues are complex we may need extra time to investigate or suggest that we meet with you to discuss your complaint. This may mean that the timetable has to be extended. We will write to you within seven days of any meeting to confirm what took place and what was agreed.
If you are satisfied with our initial response we will implement any steps that have been suggested to achieve the agreed outcome and we will tell you in writing when we have done so.
If you are not satisfied with our initial response the firm’s COLP (Compliance Officer Legal Practice) will review the matter taking into account any suggestions you may have to resolve the problem. Within 14 days of receiving your reply we will write again with further suggestions for resolution.
If you do not reply to our first letter we will write again after two weeks. If after a further 14 days we do not get a reply from you we will not pursue the complaint any further.
What to do if you are not satisfied with our response
If we are not able to resolve the complaint to your satisfaction then you may refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman for England and Wales after eight weeks.
The Legal Ombudsman for England and Wales (LeO) can be contacted at
PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ. Tel: 0300 555 0333.
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
If your complaint is about a bill you may also have a right to apply to the court for an assessment of the bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. If all or part of our bill remains unpaid we may be entitled to charge you interest on the amount unpaid.
