Complaints Procedure
SV Solicitors is committed to high-quality legal advice and client care. However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service we provided then you should inform us immediately so that we can do our best to resolve the problem. If you are still not satisfied with the level of response then you should make a formal complaint to Vijitha Sivakumar B.A (Hons) principal solicitor of this firm.
The process of investigation into the complaint
1. Acknowledge the complaint in writing and send a copy of the complaint’s procedure.
2. Investigate the issues within 14 days of receiving the complaint.
3. Invite the person making the complaint to a meeting or to discuss the issues by telephone, at conclusion of investigation.
4. Confirm the outcome of the meeting or telephone conversation in writing, within 5 working days.
5. If a meeting/telephone discussion is not possible or required: Investigate the issues and write to the person with the outcome, within 21 working days.
6. Review and close the complaint within 8 weeks of receiving the complaint.
In all cases, we will attempt to meet the client’s concerns and identify the causes of the complaint. At the conclusion of the internal investigation, if the client is not satisfied we will provide guidance about whether you can refer the complaint to an Ombudsman Scheme.
Legal Ombudsman
The Legal Ombudsman investigates complaints about the service that consumers have received.
From 1 April 2023, the time limits for referring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman will be not later than:
(1) one year from the date of the relevant act or omission which is being complained about, or
(2) one year from the date when the complainant should have realised that there was cause for complaint.
How to contact the Legal Ombudsman:
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk.
Telephone: 0300 555 0333
Address: PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
Solicitors Regulation Authority
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is the regulator of solicitors and law firms in England and Wales. The SRA deals with cases where firms or those it regulates have breached the SRA Principles such as dishonesty, taking or losing your money, or treating you unfairly because of your age or disability.
The contact details for the Solicitors Regulation Authority are:
Website: www.sra.org.uk
Telephone: 03706062555
Fax: 01216161999
Address: The Solicitors Regulation Authority
The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham, B1 1RN
Data Protection
SV Solicitors are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the data protection regulator in the UK, with registration number ZA162244. We collect, uses and is responsible for certain personal information about you in the course of operating our business. When we do so we are regulated under the General Data Protection Regulation which applies across the European Union (including in the United Kingdom) and we are responsible as ‘controller’ of that personal information for the purposes of those laws.
Record Retention
Our records retention for 6 years in accordance with the Solicitors Regulation Authority recommended time limits, following which the file will be destroyed. Until then however the papers can be retrieved at any time if you so wish.