Complaints Policy

1. We strive to provide you with an excellent level of service at all times. However, if you have a complaint about the service you have received from us please do not hesitate to send an email to info@excelbarristers.com.
2. Whilst we hope you will never have a need to use it, we have a very simple yet thorough complaints procedure in place to ensure that any concerns get dealt with quickly and appropriately.
3. 1. All initial complaints must be made in writing and sent to the info@excelbarristers.com and we will get back to you within 72 hours with an acknowledgment of receipt of your complaint;
   2. The complaint will be handled and resolved where possible by the barrister in the first instance;
   3. You will also be advised when a full reply will follow, which should usually be within 28 days. This may take longer in some cases;
   4. 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 anyone involved in the complaint and its investigation. Such people will include the barrister member or staff about whom you have complained, and the person who investigates 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. Therefore please be advised that in order to investigate complaints properly we may disclose your personal data to relevant third parties, including witnesses and your instructing solicitors and/or employees of your instructing solicitors.
   5. Where you object to any data being disclosed to any particular person or class of person as part of the complaints investigation you are asked to identify that person from the outset;
   6. We aim to deal with complaints in an expeditious manner and always try to reach a resolution, in the first instance. We hope that any concerns raised can initially be dealt with directly by the barrister concerned through honest, open and responsive communication;
   7. When resolving each complaint, the matter will be reviewed to assess what is the best solution to the complaint. This may include appropriate redress, remedial action or improvement action on our behalf.  The appropriate resolution will be dependent on the circumstances of the case and the nature of the complaint.

3. 3. In the event that;

1. a response by email won’t help alleviate your concerns; or
2. you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your complaint following investigation; or
3. if your complaint has not been dealt with eight weeks;
   you may raise a formal complaint together with copies of all significant correspondence with the Legal Ombudsman, the independent complaints body that deals with complaints about lawyers,

4. The Legal Ombudsman will only consider complaints that have already been referred to Chambers and that have received an unsatisfactory response or outcome from Chambers.
5. Please note that the Legal Ombudsman, has introduced new rules on the time limits for dealing with a complaint. From 1 April 2023, the time limits for referring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman are no later than one year from the date:
   1. Of the act or omission being complained about; or
   2. When the complainant should have realised that there was cause for complaint.
6. Barristers do not retain the papers on a case, and instead return them to the instructing solicitor on completion of the case. Investigating complaints without the relevant files is a difficult process. If a complaint is being made outside of this timescale complainants are asked to explain why there has been such delay.
7. Please note that we retain the right to refuse complaints that are more than 12 months old without any explanation for that delay and that the existence of the above procedure does not prohibit us from turning aside unjustified complaints.
8. The office of the Ombudsman can be contacted on 0300 555 0333 or you can write to: Legal Ombudsman, Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough
   SL1 0EH or you can visit https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk for further information.
9. As part of our commitment to client care, we make a written record of any complaint and retain all documents and correspondence generated by the complaint for a period of 6 years.
10. If you have any questions about this process please feel free to contact us by email info@excelbarristers.com.