Complaints Policy
We are committed to providing high-quality legal advice and client care.
If you are unhappy about any aspect of the service you receive or about our bill, then please initially raise any queries or concerns about our work for you with the lawyer responsible for the day-to-day handling of your matter, or their supervisor, if applicable. Either of these will do their best to resolve any problems quickly and to your satisfaction.
If they are unable to do so, however, or if you would prefer to speak to someone else about it, then please contact us on 0203 633 0931 or ali.hussain@ahslaw.co.uk or by post to Ali Hussain, AHS LAW, Ashley House, 235-239 High Road, London N22 8HF. We have a written procedure that sets out how we handle complaints which is available on request. We are required to deal with your complaint within eight weeks.
In the event that you are not satisfied with the firm's response then you can have the complaint independently looked at by the Legal Ombudsman. The Legal Ombudsman investigates complaints about service issues with lawyers. There are, however, restrictions to this service for organisations, as set out on their website (see below). Normally, you will need to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving a final written response from us about your complaint.
In addition, you should be aware that the Legal Ombudsman will not accept your complaint if:
more than one year has elapsed from the date of the act or omission giving rise to the complaint; or
more than one year has elapsed from the time when you should have known about the complaint
Legal Ombudsman's contact details are:
Telephone: 0300 555 0333
Minicom: 0300 555 1777
E-mail: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Address: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough SL1 0EH
You may also be able to object to our bill by applying to the Court for an assessment under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. If you exercise this right, you would be prevented from making a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman. In addition, if you apply to the Court for an assessment and if all or part of the bill remains unpaid at the end of that assessment, we are entitled to charge interest. There are strict time limits that apply to this process and you may wish to seek independent legal advice.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help if you are concerned about our behaviour. 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. Visit their website at sra.org.uk to see how you can raise your concerns with them.
September 2024