Oldgate Trustees Limited Complaints Policy and Procedure
Oldgate Trustees Limited are committed to providing high quality legal services to all our clients. If something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will enable us to resolve the situation and to raise our own standards.
If you have a complaint, please contact Stuart Hamilton directly in the first instance on 0191 429 2637
What will happen next?
1. .We will acknowledge your complaint in writing and ask you to clarify any details in required, within 3 days of receipt of your complaint. We may suggest a meeting at this stage if we feel it is in your interest.
2. .We will record your complaint on our complaints register and investigate your complaint.
3. .If appropriate we will then invite you to discuss the matter with us and hopefully resolve your complaint to your satisfaction. We would hope to be in a position to have a discussion with you within 14 working days following receipt of your complaint. If you prefer not to have a discussion or we cannot agree a suitable timescale with you we will write to you fully setting out our views on the situation and any redress we are able to offer, if relevant.
4. Within 5 working days of any discussion, we will write to you to confirm what took place, and any suggestions that were agreed with you.
5. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you may be able to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) www.legalombudsman.org.uk where this is appropriate and you may contact them with your complaint.
6. Before accepting your complaint, The Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must take your complaint to The Legal Ombudsman:
- Within 6 months of receiving a formal response to your complaint and;
- No more than 1 year from the date of the act / omission; or
- No more than 3 years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.
If you would like more information about The Legal Ombudsman, please contact them.
Visit www.legalombudsman.org.uk Call 0300 555 0333
Email enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk or write to Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ
7. In respect of any disputed invoice, you may apply to the court for an assessment of the invoice under part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. It is very much hoped, however, this would not prove necessary.
8. If your concern relates to our conduct or behaviour the Solicitors Regulation Authority can help you. This could be for things such as dishonesty, taking or losing money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic. You can contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority by telephone: 0300 606 2555 or via the website www.sra.org.uk
9. We are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (www.sra.org.uk) and the rules and regulations governing how we should act and carry out our business are contained in the SRA Standards and Regulations 2019. These can be accessed and downloaded at https://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/standards/regulations or by asking us to provide a copy.
10. Alternative complaints bodies also exist, which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our firm wish to use such a scheme. An example is Independent Mediators whose website is www.independentmediators.co.uk. We do not wish to use such an alternative complaints body as we consider that the Legal Ombudsman has the most experience in dealing with such complaints.
11. How to contact us:
Oldgate Trustees Limited, 14 Telford Court Business Park, Morpeth, NE61 2DB
Telephone 0191 429 2637 or email stuart.hamilton@oldgatetrustees.co.uk
Authorised and regulated by the SRA (No. 655896)