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Complaints & disciplinary procedure

We aim to provide an excellent quality of service at all times. If, however, you have a complaint, we invite you to follow the procedure below. Please note that we will not consider complaints raised more than six months after the relevant event.

Please address all complaints, either written or by telephone, to the Senior Clerk, Stephen Ball (sball@furnivallaw.co.uk) . If the complaint is about the Senior Clerk, please address it to the Heads of Chambers Michael Holland KC and or Sally O’Neill KC,

Please ensure that you provide:

  • Your name and contact details;
  • The precise nature of the complaint;
  • How you would like it to be resolved;

If in writing, your complaint will be acknowledged, where possible, within 2 days and considered and actioned by the Senior Clerk/ Heads of Chambers within 14 days.

If a telephone complaint cannot be resolved immediately, you will be invited to put your concerns in writing within 14 days. The substantive reply will include:

  • The nature and scope of the investigation:
  • A conclusion on each complaint and the basis for this conclusion: and in the case of a complaint which is found to be justified,
  • proposals for resolution.

A record will be kept of all complaints and resolutions, and conversations and correspondence relating to them.

Confidentiality

All conversations and documents relating to the complaint will be treated as confidential and will be disclosed only to the extent that is necessary. Disclosure will be to the Heads of Chambers, members of chambers management Committee and to anyone involved in the complaint and its investigation. Such people will include the barrister member or staff who you have complained about and the person who investigated the complaint. The Bar Standards Board is entitled to inspect the documents and seek information about the complaint when discharging its auditing and monitoring functions.

Record keeping

As part of our commitment to client care, we make a written record of formal complaints and retain all documents and correspondence generated by the complaint for a period of 6 years. A summary of the (anonymised) record is inspected regularly with a view to improving services.

Complaints to the Legal Services Ombudsman

We hope that you will use our procedure. However, if you would rather not do so or are unhappy with the outcome you may refer your complaint to the legal Ombudsman. You have 6 months from our final decision in which to complain to the Legal Ombudsman. Any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must be submitted within 12 months from the date of the act or omission about which you are complaining.

You can write to the Legal Ombudsman at:

Office of the Legal Ombudsman,
3rd Floor,
Sunlight House
Quay Street
Manchester
M3 3JZ

Lo-Call 0845 601 0794 (charged at local rates-available nationally)
Tel 0161 839 7262
Email: lso@olso.gsi.gov.uk

See also www.olso.org

https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk

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