If you wish to make a complaint against a barrister in Chambers or a member of staff, you are invited to let us know as soon as possible and we will respond very promptly in accordance with our Procedure.

 

 

An overview of Chambers’ Complaints Procedure

  • If you have a complaint relating to any of our barristers or members of staff you are invited first to ring and speak to our Senior Clerk, David Portch, who will try and resolve matters informally. It is envisaged that the majority of complaints will be satisfactorily resolved at this first stage.
  • If that is unsuccessful you will be invited to commit your complaint to writing and send it to the Chair of the Chambers Complaints Panel, who will appoint a member of the Panel to investigate and in due course report with his conclusions and proposals for resolving it.
  • In the event that a requirement is imposed on the barrister complained about that he should forgo fees or pay compensation or it is recommended that Chambers considers his expulsion, the barrister concerned has a right of appeal which must be exercised within 7 days following notification of the Complaints Panel’s decision. Any such appeal will be determined by a person nominated by the Chair of the Bar of England and Wales.
  • If you have made a complaint to the Chambers Complaints Panel and have not received a response within eight weeks, or are dissatisfied with the final response, you may then refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman.

Five Paper Complaints Procedure

You can write to the Legal Ombudsman at:
Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6806
Wolverhampton
WV1 9WJ
Telephone number: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

As of 1st April 2023, the Legal Ombudsman will generally look into your complaint if you are referring the complaint within one year of the problem happening or from when you found out about it. You must also bring your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving the final response. The Legal Ombudsman may accept complaints out of time where it is fair and reasonable to do so.

More information about the Legal Ombudsman is available on their website here.

Details of the decisions made by the Legal Ombudsman can be found here. This decision data shows legal service providers who received an ombudsman’s decision in the previous 12 months and whether or not the consumer was required to give a remedy.

If you would like to discuss any aspect of Chambers Complaints Procedure in more detail or wish to make a complaint,

please contact one of our clerks on 020 7815 3200.