Throughout our investigation, we will look for ways to resolve the complaint by finding a solution that you and the complainant can accept. Our investigator listens to both parties, reviews the facts and evidence and explains their point of view. If the investigator believes that the service you provided was of a reasonable standard, they will explain why. You should complain as soon as you know there is a problem. Problems are often resolved at an early stage. We have timelines within which we can help resolve a complaint, so this is another reason to contact your service provider as soon as you become aware of the problem. We are committed to providing high quality service and pride ourselves on being open and fair in our approach, regardless of the outcome of the case. If you wish to complain about the level of service we provide, please let us know at any time while we are still working on the file, or within two months of closing the file, and we will try to rectify things for you. For example, you can complain if you believe that we: If it is not possible to resolve a complaint informally, then we have the formal authority to resolve the issues.
Your investigator will share with you their views on how things should be resolved. If necessary, a mediator may take a decision which, once approved, is final and binding. If they feel that the service complained of was not adequate – and that it had a negative impact or caused financial loss to the complainant – they will explain what should be done to remedy the situation. In some cases, they may suggest a way to resolve the complaint that involves both parties in a bit of give-and-take. It can be faster to solve a problem if everyone agrees on what the solution should be. We are able to investigate complaints about service providers who may have closed or ceased to operate for any reason. However, this may complicate our investigation in some cases, and if you wish to file a complaint against a closed service provider, you should contact our general inquiries team who can assist you. Once your case has been judged that the legal mediator can review it, it will be referred to an investigator to open the investigation. However, due to the high demand for our service, it currently takes longer than usual before we can assign new investigations to our investigators. Our job is to deal with complaints about service providers fairly and without partisanship. The Legal Services Act 2007 sets out the specific obligations of the Legal Ombudsman to exchange information with front-line legal regulators.
We share general information about complaint trends, similar to what we post on the Site, as well as specific information about individual cases where there may be potential misconduct issues. Once a mediator has made a final decision, we will ask the complainant if he or she accepts it. If this is the case, it is final and binding for you. There will be no way to challenge it with us. It also means that the complainant cannot have the same complaint reconsidered. Acceptance of an ombudsman`s final decision also prevents the complainant from taking legal action in relation to the same complaint. The green cross is in front of the name of the legal service provider. Everything we tell the service provider to correct things is always based on the individual circumstances of the complaint and the effects of the bad service. As a first step, one of our investigators will take care of your case. Your case will only be referred to an ombudsman if it proves difficult to resolve. Are the decisions of the Legal Ombudsman legally binding? If you are not satisfied with your legal service provider`s service, you should begin your complaint process by first notifying them and giving them eight weeks to respond.
Sometimes it is possible to resolve complaints at these meetings, but we know you will feel uncomfortable attending. If this is the case, you can always bring a representative, such as a friend or family member. However, if you really do not want to participate, you can inform your service provider and ask them to respond to your complaint in writing. You do not need to attend a meeting proposed by the service provider to discuss your complaint. We understand that COVID-19 will also affect our customers and in these challenging times, we will do everything in our power to ensure we are as flexible as possible. We are aware that for some people, their complaint is not their priority at this time. We are also aware that legal service providers may be affected by both the availability of staff and access to their records. We will work with service providers to be as flexible as possible, and we will let people know if it affects them.
Please let us know if you would like us to suspend your file for any reason. This prisoner`s guide explains what kind of legal complaints we can handle, who can use our service and how to file a complaint with us. This guide looks at our approach to putting things in order when the service provided is not of a reasonable standard. It is also intended to give you a clear explanation of how we decide what a reasonable result should be. We publish on our website data on all cases requiring a final decision by a mediator.