We are committed to providing a high quality legal service and to dealing with all our clients fairly. We acknowledge that we may not always get it right so if something has gone wrong, including in relation to the bill, we need you to tell us.
How do I make a complaint?
You can contact us in writing (by letter, fax or email) or by speaking with Kevin Donoghue, Solicitor Director.
Mr. Donoghue can be contacted as follows:
-by email: kevin[“at” symbol]donoghue-solicitors.co.uk,
-by post to Donoghue Solicitors, 25 Hatton Garden, Liverpool, L3 2FE or
-by telephone on 0151 236 1336.
To help us to understand your complaint, and in order that we do not miss anything, please tell us:
- your full name and contact details
- what you think we have got wrong
- what you hope to achieve as a result of your complaint, and
- your file reference number (if you have it)
If you require any help in making your complaint we will try to help you.
How will you deal with my complaint?
We will record your complaint centrally.
We will write to you within three working days acknowledging your complaint, enclosing a copy of this policy.
We will investigate your complaint. This will usually involve:
- reviewing your complaint
- reviewing your file(s) and other relevant documents, and
- speaking with the person who dealt with your matter
We may also need to ask you for further information or documents. If so, we will ask you to provide the information within a specific period of time.
We will update you on the progress of your complaint at appropriate times.
We may also, if appropriate, invite you to a meeting to discuss your complaint. You do not have to attend if you do not wish to or if you are unable to. We will be happy to discuss the matter with you on the telephone.
We will write to you at the end of our investigation to tell you what we have done and what we propose to do to resolve your complaint. Where possible, we will aim to do this within 21 days of the date of our letter of acknowledgement.
What if I am not satisfied with the outcome?
If at any point you become unhappy with the service we provide to you, then please inform us immediately so that we can do our best to resolve the problem for you.
If we are unable to resolve your complaint then you can have the complaint independently looked at by the Legal Ombudsman. The Legal Ombudsman investigates complaints about service issues with lawyers. You can contact the Legal Ombudsman:
- by post at PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
- by telephone: 0300 555 0333, or
- by email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
The Legal Ombudsman expects complaints to be made to them within one year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned or within one year of you realising there was a concern. You must also refer your concerns to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response to you.
Further details are available on the website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk.
Alternative complaints bodies (such as Ombudsman Services – https://www.ombudsman-services.org/) exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our firm wish to use such a scheme.
We do not agree to use Ombudsman Services.
What will it cost?
We will not charge you for handling your complaint. The Legal Ombudsman service is free of charge. Alternative complaints bodies (such as Ombudsman Services) charge for their services.
Please note that if we have issued a bill for work done on the matter, and all or some of the bill is not paid, we may be entitled to charge interest on the amount outstanding.