Informal Resolution

If would like to raise a complaint informally, you are invited in the first instance to contact our Director of Clerking, David Portch. He will discuss your concerns with you and seek to resolve the matter informally where possible.

Complaints may be made by telephone, video call, in writing or in another accessible format to meet your communication needs.

If your complaint concerns David Portch, you should contact the Chair of the Complaints Committee, Tina Conlan, or the Head of Chambers, Rachel Sleeman.

Formal Complaint

If the matter cannot be resolved informally, or if you would prefer the matter to be dealt with formally from the outset, you will be invited to submit a formal complaint in writing or another accessible format.

Your complaint should include:

• Your name and address;
• The name of the barrister or member of staff concerned;
• Details of your complaint; and
• The outcome you are seeking.

Formal complaints should be addressed to the Chair of the Complaints Committee.

Where possible, we will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within two days and provide details of how your complaint will be dealt with.

Investigation

Chambers has a complaints panel headed by Tina Conlan and made up of experienced members of Chambers and a senior member of staff.

Within 14 days of receiving your formal complaint, the head of the panel, or their deputy in their absence, will appoint a member of the panel to investigate it. The person appointed will not be the person complained about.

The investigator will write to you as soon as possible to confirm that they have been appointed and will aim to provide a written response within 14 days. If more time is needed, they will let you know and provide a revised date for the response. We will keep you updated on the progress of the investigation.

The written response will set out:

• the nature and scope of the investigation;
•  the investigator’s conclusion on each aspect of the complaint and the reasons for those conclusions; and
• any proposals for resolving the complaint, where appropriate.

Legal Ombudsman

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of our investigation, or if your complaint has not been resolved within eight weeks, you may be entitled to refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman. the independent body responsible for resolving complaints about legal services. The Legal Ombudsman is the independent body responsible for resolving complaints about legal services.

The Legal Ombudsman will generally consider complaints where:

• the complaint is referred within one year of the act or omission complained of, or within one year of you becoming aware of it; and
• the complaint is referred to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving Chambers’ final response.

The Legal Ombudsman’s contact details are:

Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6167
Slough
SL1 0EH

Telephone: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

Complaints by Non-Clients

The Legal Ombudsman will usually only consider complaints from the barrister’s client. If you are not the barrister’s client and are dissatisfied with the outcome of Chambers’ investigation, you may wish to contact the Bar Standards Board, which regulates barristers in England and Wales.

The Bar Standards Board’s contact details are:

Bar Standards Board
Contact and Assessment Team
289-293 High Holborn
London
WC1V 7JZ

Telephone: 0207 6111 444
Website: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

A copy of our full complaints procedure can be downloaded here: Five Paper Complaints Procedure