Complaints Procedure

Our Complaints Policy

DPH Legal Limited is committed to providing a high-quality service in all respects. However, if you are dissatisfied with the quality of service provided, we ask that you inform us as soon as possible. Receiving feedback helps us to improve our service and our solicitors are always open to discussing any concerns you might have regarding your bill or quality of work. We will always endeavour to address complaints promptly, fairly, and free of charge. Making a complaint will never impact the way in which we handle your case.

Internal Complaints Procedure

We recommend raising any initial concerns with the solicitor handling your case. If discussing your concerns with your solicitor does not resolve the matter, we kindly request that you raise it with our client care partner, Mr David Harris.

You can reach Mr Harris by telephone on 0118 208 2001 or by email at dharris@dphlegal.com

In order to ensure that we can deal with your concern quickly and efficiently, we ask that you please provide the following information when raising your concern with Mr Harris:-

1. Your name;
2. Your preferred contact details;
3. Your matter number (if known);
4. A concise summary of your complaint; and
5. How you would like the situation to be remedied.

Once you have submitted the above information, the procedure will be as follows:-

1. We will contact you acknowledging receipt of your complaint and enclosing a copy of this procedure within 7 working days. If, for any reason, we are unable to acknowledge your complaint in 7 working days, you will be notified.

2. Once acknowledged, your complaint will be fairly and thoroughly investigated by Mr Harris. We will then invite you to a meeting to discuss (and hopefully resolve) your complaint within 14 days. If this timeframe is not practicable, you will once again be notified in advance. Please note, the meeting will usually take place via video conference, i.e. using Microsoft Teams.

3. We will write to you following the conclusion of the investigation to tell you what steps have been taken to resolve your complaint. Where possible, we will aim to do this within 14 working days of your discussion. If, due to a higher-than-average workload, this deadline is not achievable, we will notify you as soon as possible.

Raising an external complaint

If you feel that we have been unable to sufficiently remedy your complaint through our internal process after 8 weeks of it being raised, you have the right to take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman – an independent complaints body established under the 2007 Legal Services Act.

The Ombudsman will consider your complaint as long as:-

• You refer it to them within six years of the problem happening, or within three years of when you found out about it, and
• Within six months of us providing our final response to you.

You can contact the Legal Ombudsman:-

1. at PO Box 6806 Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ;
2. by telephone on 0300 555 0333; or
3. by email at enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk.
4. through an online complaint form https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

If your unresolved complaint relates to an insurance policy covering your case, you may also contact the Financial Ombudsman Service:-

1. at Exchange Tower, Harbour Exchange, London, E14 9SR;
2. by telephone on 0800 023 4567; or
3. through an online complaint form https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/make-complaint

Once you have submitted the above information, the procedure will run as follows:

1. Early resolution – the Ombudsman’s team will review your complaint to assess whether they can resolve it more quickly for you. It usually takes 4-5 weeks for them to contact you to let you know if an early resolution applies.
2. Accepting a complaint – if early resolution is not possible, the Ombudsman’s team will assess your complaint and whether it fits within the scheme rules, they might contact you and/or us to get a better understanding of your complaint. Please note, it can take 9-12 months for most cases to be accepted by the Ombudsman and for an investigation to begin. For more complex cases, this can take 18-24 months.

See also https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/how-we-work/consumer-journey/

Please note, alternative complaints bodies (such as ProMediate) also exist, but we do not agree to use ProMediate or any other alternative complaints body.

Complaints about Regulatory Breaches

In the event that your complaint is not about poor service but is instead about a breach of Solicitor Regulation Authority (SRA) Principles, then complain directly to the SRA. You can contact the SRA:-

1. at the Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham, B1 1RN;
2. by telephone on 0370 606 2555; or
3. by email at contactcentre@sra.org.uk.