CHIPATISO ASSOCIATES LLP COMPLAINT PROCEDURE
COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
At Chipatiso Associates LLP, we pride ourselves on aiming to provide an excellent service to clients at all times. However, we recognise that there may be occasions when clients feel that the level of service has fallen short of that which is expected from someone at Chipatiso Associates LLP. If that is the case we would prefer to know straight away, so that we can try to do something to rectify the matter immediately to your satisfaction. If we are not able to resolve matters, we understand that you may feel that you would prefer to make a formal complaint. We therefore take feedback, complaints and the investigation of them seriously so that we may learn and further improve what we do.
If you have a complaint, we encourage you to let us know as soon as possible. We recognise that it is important that all complaints are dealt with promptly, courteously and in a manner which addresses the issues raised in accordance with our procedures and professional obligations. It is not necessary to involve solicitors in order to make your complaint but you are free to do so should you wish.
Our Complaints Procedure deals with service issues. It is not usually appropriate for us to deal with allegations of professional negligence or serious misconduct under the Code of Conduct.
SETTING OURSELVES STANDARDS
In so far as a complaint extends beyond service issues into issues of misconduct we may suggest that it be referred to the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. In so far as your complaint raises issues of professional negligence the Solicitor is required to report the same to their professional indemnity insurers who may elect to deal with it themselves.
We operate a system throughout our office of insisting upon our employees to meet certain standards with regards to client care:
Such standards include:
- Clients should receive copies of all substantive correspondence, telephone calls from clients are to be returned during the course of the same day, if at all possible;
- Correspondence of any sort is generally to be dealt with within 7 working days of receipt;
- Letters to clients and other solicitors and organizations we deal with are to be written in plain concise English; and
- Appointments are to be given to clients without any undue delay;
OUR OBJECTIVES
- To advise you in a clear and understandable way;
- To resolve matters on the best terms we can;
- To keep you properly informed;
- To work for you without avoidable delay; and
- To give you value for your money.
COMPLAINTS PROCESS
At Chipatiso Associates LLP, all clients will be given information about what to do if they have a problem with the service provided or any other aspects of the firm. This is also in keeping with Solicitors Practice Rule 15.
At Chipatiso Associates LLP, we define a complaint as any reasonable expression of client dissatisfaction or grievance.
COMPLAINTS MADE BY TELEPHONE
You may wish to make a complaint in writing and, if so, please follow the formal procedure below. However, if you would rather speak to someone on the telephone about your complaint then please telephone our office and request to speak to Ms Pamela Chipatiso. If Ms. Chipatiso is not available when you make a call, she will return your call within 24 hours. Ms. Chipatiso, as the Managing Partner, will be the person with overall responsibility for Complaints. In the event that your complaint is about Ms. Pamela Chipatiso herself, then you can raise the complaint with Mr. Keith Pemhiwa, a Partner in the firm. Ms. Chipatiso will be responsible for dealing with complaints made about the firm or a staff member using the procedure below. All the contact details are provided at the end of this Procedure.
The person you contact will make a note of the details of your complaint and what you would like to have done about it. Complaints can be dealt with formally under our complaints procedure or more informally. It is your choice how to proceed. Once you have spoken to someone, we will email you with details of the complaints procedure for formal complaints and, if you have expressed an interest in dealing with the matter informally, you will be given Ms Chipatiso’s contact details and she will deal with the matter informally. If you elect to proceed on an informal basis Ms Chipatiso will discuss your concerns with you and aim to resolve them. If the matter is resolved, they will record the outcome, check that you are satisfied with the outcome and record that you are satisfied. You may also wish to record the outcome of the telephone discussion in writing.
If your complaint is not resolved informally, you will be invited to write to us about it so it can be investigated formally. It would be helpful if you could include the following information so we can deal with your complaint as effectively as possible:
FORMAL COMPLAINTS MADE IN WRITING
Please make your complaint by letter or email to Ms Pamela Chipatiso who will have the initial responsibility for handling your complaint. If your complaint is about Ms Chipatiso you can send the complaint to Mr Pemhiwa. It would be helpful if you could include the following information so we can deal with your complaint as effectively as possible:
- Your contact details including name, address and, if applicable, email address;
- Whether you are a client, instructing solicitor or had some other role;
- The name of the solicitor or member of staff you are complaining about;
- The nature of the complaint;
- What the solicitor or member of staff was asked to do and what happened or did not happen;
- What steps you would like to see taken to resolve your complaint.
Once your formal complaint has been received, Ms Chipatiso will explain to you how it will be handled. We try to keep this process flexible to take account of different circumstances. In principle, it will work as follows.
We will aim to acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 4 days of receipt, or sooner, and provide you with details of how your complaint will be dealt with. You may be asked to provide further information if it is required.
Within 14 days of acknowledging receipt of your complaint, we will write to inform you which the date by which we aim to send you their response, after a thorough investigation. If this is going to take longer for some reason, we will write to you to explain this and also the new date for their response. The response of Ms Chipatiso will set out:
- The nature and scope of the investigation;
- The conclusion on each complaint and the basis for their conclusion; and
- If there is a finding that you are justified in your complaint, proposals for resolving the complaint.
CONFIDENTIALITY
In line with the Solicitors Regulatory Authority Guidance all conversations and documents shall be confidential and disclosed only to the extent necessary. They may be disclosed only to the complainant, the solicitor or member of staff complained about and any other individual with whom enquiries need to be made for the purpose of the investigation.
RECORD KEEPING
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 six years.
COMPLAINTS TO THE LEGAL OMBUDSMAN
If you are unhappy with the outcome of our investigation at the conclusion of our consideration, and you fall within their jurisdiction, you may take up your complaint with the Legal Ombudsman, the independent complaints body for complaints about lawyers. The Ombudsman is not able to consider your complaint until it has first been investigated by us. Please note the timeframe for referral of complaints to the Ombudsman as set out below.
From 1 April 2023, the time limits for referring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman will be no later than:
- one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about; or
- one year from the date when the complainant should have realised that there was cause for complaint; and
- within six months of the complaint receiving a final response from their lawyer.
The Ombudsman can extend the time limit in exceptional circumstances. Chipatiso Associates must therefore have regard to that timeframe when deciding whether they are able to investigate your complaint. Chipatiso Associates will not therefore usually deal with complaints that fall outside of the Legal Ombudsman’s time limits.
The Ombudsman will also only deal with complaints from consumers. This means that only complaints from the solicitor’s client are within their jurisdiction. Non-clients who are not satisfied with the outcome of our investigation should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority rather than the Legal Ombudsman.
It should be noted that it may not always be possible to investigate a complaint brought by a non- client. This is because our ability to satisfactorily investigate and resolve such matters is limited and complaints of this nature are often better suited to the disciplinary processes maintained by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Therefore, Chipatiso Associates will make an initial assessment of the complaint and if they feel that the issues raised cannot be satisfactorily resolved through our complaints process we will refer you to the Solicitors Regulatory Authority.
CONTACT DETAILS
Office Manager:info@chipatiso.co.uk
Tel:0800 689 5103; 07429320431
Managing Partner:
Pamela Chipatiso: pamela.c@chipatiso.co.uk
Tel:0800 689 5103; 07429320431
Partner
Keith Pemhiwa:keith.p@chipatiso.co.uk
Tel:0800 689 5103; 07429320431
Chipatiso Associates LLP
Suite 4, Office 1
Excelsior House
3-4 Balfour Road
Ilford, IG1 4HP
Legal Ombudsman
Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6167 Slough SL1 0EH
Telephone number: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Solicitors Regulatory Authority
266-270 Prince Regent Ln, London E16 3JJ
Telephone number: 020 7474 9133
Email: contactcentre@sra.org.uk