11 Stone Buildings | Barristers Chambers

Complaints Procedure

Objectives

1. Chambers aims to ensure that clients are happy with the professional services provided.

2. However, Chambers recognises that mistakes, misunderstanding, delays and other problems can occur. Our Complaints Procedure is designed to ensure that:

(1) clients are made aware of our complaints policy and the procedure for raising their concerns;

(2) complaints are dealt with quickly and effectively;

(3) complaints are analysed to determine what went wrong in order that weaknesses can be acted on to improve overall performance;

(4) complaints are regularly monitored to assess whether the nature of the complaints change over time as problems are identified and addressed and clients’ needs change;

(5) feedback is regularly obtained from solicitors as to whether they have any concerns and whether any such concerns are being acknowledged and acted on to their satisfaction;

(6) the concerns of the complainant are satisfied.

3. Please note that Chambers will only consider complaints that are raised within six months of the act or omission complained of.

Procedure – Complaints made by telephone

4. Sometimes it is sensible to raise the concern by telephoning us and asking to speak to the Chambers Director, Michael Couling. Informal complaints should be made to the Chambers Director in this way. This will usually be the convenient course if something has gone wrong but it is not clear what. The matter of concern may be explained to your satisfaction and involve no fault on the part of Chambers. If there remains the possibility that Chambers has been at fault, we will make a record of the matter, whether or not it is then resolved to your satisfaction.

5. If your complaint is not resolved on the telephone you will be invited to write to us about it within the next 14 days so that it can be investigated formally.

Procedure – Complaints made in writing

6. A complaint in writing should be made to the Chambers Director, Michael Couling. If the complaint is about the Chambers Director, the complaint should go to the Head of Chambers, Edward Cohen, who has overall responsibility for handling external complaints. Complaints received by a barrister or a member of staff will be forwarded to the Chambers Director. We will, where possible, acknowledge receipt of your complaint within two days and provide you with details of how your complaint will be dealt with.

7. When making a complaint in writing, please give the following details:

your name and address;
which member(s) of Chambers you are complaining about;
the detail of the complaint;
what you would like done about it.

8. On receiving a formal complaint the Chambers Director will:

(1) contact you by telephone and/or in writing within fourteen days to establish the full nature of the complaint and let you know what action is being proposed;

(2) inform the barrister or member of staff to whom the complaint relates as soon as practicable;

(3) if appropriate, inform the Head of Chambers as soon as reasonably practicable

(4) discuss the matter with those who are the subject of the complaint and carry out such investigations as are deemed necessary to establish whether the concern or complaint is justified and/or requires further investigation;

(5) inform the Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund if the complaint may result in a claim against professional indemnity insurance.

9. Where a complaint can be resolved at this stage, the Chambers Director will contact you by telephone or in writing to inform you of the result of the investigation and what further action, if any, is proposed

10. Where the complaint is not capable of resolution at this stage, the Chambers Director will make a report to the Head of Chambers who may carry out or request the Chambers Director to carry out further investigations. The Head of Chambers will ensure that you are given proper opportunity to make representations in writing and that the barrister or member of staff is given proper opportunity to respond.

11. If the Head of Chambers finds the complaint to be unjustified, the Chambers Director will contact you and the barrister or member of staff concerned and explain why, following investigation, the complaint was not upheld.

12. If the Head of Chambers finds the complaint to be justified, he will determine what remedial action and/or compensation is appropriate. The Head of Chambers will inform you that the complaint has been investigated, that the complaint was found to be justified and what action is proposed.

Confidentiality

13. All conversations and documents relating to a complaint will be treated as confidential and disclosed only to the extent that it is necessary. Disclosure will be to the Head of Chambers, the Chambers Director and to anyone involved in the complaint and its investigation. This will include the barrister member or staff about whom you have complained. The Bar Standards Board is entitled to inspect the documents and seek information about the complaint when discharging its auditing and monitoring functions.

Our policy

14. 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.

15. Where a complainant has raised concerns about a particular aspect of the service the Chambers Director may ask the complainant to monitor that aspect over a specified period. In that event, a time will be arranged for the Chambers Director to contact the complainant to establish whether there has been an improvement

Complaints to the Bar Standards Board (the regulatory arm of the Bar Council, the professional body of barristers)

16. We hope that you will use our procedure. However, if you would rather not do so or are unhappy with the outcome, you may take up your complaint with the Bar Standards Board at any time. Please note that the Bar Standards Board has a six-month time limit from the date of the act or omission about which you are complaining within which to make your complaint. However, should you raise your complaint with Chambers first, there is a three month time limit from the conclusion of the investigation by Chambers in which to raise your complaint with the Board. You can write to them at:

Complaints Team
Bar Standards Board
289 – 293 High Holborn
London WC1V 7HZ

Tel: 020 7611 1444
Fax: 020 7831 9217

Complaints Procedure

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