We always want to give you the best possible service. However, if you become unhappy or concerned about the service we have provided, you should inform us immediately so that we can do our best to resolve the problem.

If you would like to make a formal complaint, then please read below.
Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case.

Making a complaint

If for any reason at any time, you are not satisfied with the service being provided to you or you have a complaint about the firm’s invoice, you should:

• In the first instance, contact Karenjit Dhaliwal, the Chief Executive Officer of Hartley Law, on 01276 536410 or, by email karen@hartleylaw.co.uk and she will try to resolve any issues you may have.

• Karenjit Dhaliwal is responsible for ensuring that complaints are handled effectively and in accordance with this procedure. This procedure will also apply to prospective clients to whom we have refused to provide a service or, persistently or unreasonably offered an unwanted service, though, only if the complainant has evidence to show that we did not have reasonable grounds to do so.

• On receiving your complaint, we will acknowledge your complaint within 3 business days. We will confirm how long we need to investigate your complaint and if we need any further information.

• We will then conduct a thorough investigation of your complaint and, as applicable, suggest a suitable outcome or remedy.

• We aim to be open, fair, prompt and effective in dealing with your complaint.

What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint

The Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint. The Legal Ombudsman deal with service and invoice issues. They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case.

Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first.

The Legal Ombudsman require you to give us at least 8 weeks to resolve your complaint from receiving full details. If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within one year of the date of the act/omission being complained about or within one year from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.

The Legal Ombudsman may, in certain circumstances exercise its discretion to dismiss or discontinue complaints. The Legal Ombudsman also has discretion to consider a complaint to have been resolved on the basis of an investigator’s case decision if neither you nor the firm provides any “substantive reasons” for disagreeing with that decision. Alternatively, the Legal Ombudsman may decide no final decision is needed on a case if no substantive decisions have been raised by either you or the firm.

Please get in touch with the Legal Ombudsman if you would like more information about them.

Legal Ombudsman Contact details

enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

0300 555 0333

Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough SL1 0EH

What to do if you are unhappy with our behaviour

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help if you are concerned about our behaviour rather than service issues. This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.

You can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority