Complaints policy

We aim to give every client a good service. If something has gone wrong, or you are unhappy with any aspect of our service or our bill, we want you to tell us. Raising a complaint costs you nothing and will not affect the way we handle your claim.

We treat as a complaint any expression of dissatisfaction - however you make it - about the standard of our service, the conduct of anyone at the firm, our charges or billing, or the way your claim has been handled. You do not need to use the word "complaint" or put it in any particular form; if you tell us you are unhappy, we will deal with it under this procedure.

How to raise a complaint

If you feel able to, the quickest route is usually to raise the matter directly with the person handling your claim, or their supervisor - many concerns can be resolved straight away. If you would rather not, or you are not satisfied, please contact our Complaints Manager, whose inbox is monitored every working day:

Jeremy Evans, Complaints Manager. Bailey Glasser International, 22 Eastcheap, Second Floor, London EC3M 1EU. Email: complaints@baileyglasserintl.com

You can complain by letter, email or telephone. It helps us if you can tell us your name and claim reference, what you think has gone wrong and when, the effect it has had on you, and what you would like us to do to put it right. If a disability or anything else makes it difficult for you to complain in writing, tell us and we will make reasonable adjustments - for example, taking your complaint by telephone and writing it up for you to check.

What happens next

We will acknowledge your complaint within two business days, enclosing a copy of this procedure, confirming when we received it and telling you who is handling it. Your complaint will be investigated by someone who was not involved in the part of your claim you are complaining about, or by a more senior colleague, who will review the file and speak to those concerned.

Within 21 days, the person investigating will aim to contact you to introduce themselves, confirm their understanding of your complaint and update you on progress - and to resolve it at that stage if we can. We will send you a full written response within eight weeks, setting out what we have found, whether we uphold your complaint in whole or in part, our reasons, and what we propose to do about it. If we need longer, we will write to you before the eight weeks are up to explain why, give you a new timescale and remind you of your right to go to the Legal Ombudsman.

If we have got something wrong, we will say so and apologise. An apology is not an admission of legal liability.

Putting things right

Where we uphold your complaint, in whole or in part, we will consider fair ways to put things right. Depending on the circumstances, that may include an apology and explanation, putting the work right or doing further work at no charge, reducing or waiving our charges, refunding charges you have paid, or a payment in recognition of any inconvenience caused. We will always explain our reasons, and you are free to tell us if you do not think it goes far enough.

Complaints in a group claim

If you are one of several claimants in a group claim, you are our client individually and have your own right to complain and, if still dissatisfied, to go to the Legal Ombudsman. You do not need the agreement of any other claimant, a lead claimant or any group to do so.

Because a group claim is run collectively, some concerns will affect other claimants too. Where your complaint raises an issue of that kind, we will look at it across the group as well as for you, and tell you when we are doing so. If we resolve a complaint by adjusting costs, we will check the adjustment is consistent with the cost-sharing arrangements in your retainer so that it does not disadvantage others. If your complaint is about how much you have heard from us, we will assess it against the communication arrangements for group claims set out in your retainer.

If you are still not satisfied: the Legal Ombudsman

The Legal Ombudsman is the independent complaints body for legal services in England and Wales, and its service is free to you. If you are unhappy with our final response, or we have not responded within eight weeks, you can ask it to look into your complaint. You must normally complain to us first and allow us up to eight weeks before the Ombudsman will consider it.

Strict time limits apply. You must refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final written response, and no later than one year from the act or omission complained of (or from when you should reasonably have realised there was cause for complaint). The Ombudsman can extend these limits only in exceptional circumstances, so if you may be close to a deadline, contact them without waiting.

The scheme is open to individual clients and to smaller businesses, charities, clubs and trusts within its size limits; as an individual claimant, you are eligible. Your right to use it does not depend on where you live - what matters is that we are authorised to provide legal services in England and Wales. The Ombudsman works in English and Welsh, so if you need to deal with them in another language or need other assistance, tell them when you first make contact. It is usually easiest to contact them by email, and you may wish to ask us to send our final response by email as well as post so that the six-month period does not run down in transit.

Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ, United Kingdom. Telephone: 0300 555 0333 (from outside the UK: +44 121 245 0050). Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk, www.legalombudsman.org.uk

If your complaint is about our bill

You can complain to us about our bill under this procedure and ask the Legal Ombudsman to consider it. You also have a separate right to apply to the court for an assessment of our bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. Strict time limits apply to that right and run from the date of the bill, so if you are considering it we suggest you take independent advice promptly. The Legal Ombudsman may decline to deal with a bill complaint where the court has already assessed it, or where a court assessment is underway.

If your complaint is about our conduct: the SRA

The Legal Ombudsman deals with the standard of service; the Solicitors Regulation Authority deals with professional conduct - for example dishonesty, misuse of client money, discrimination or a serious failure to meet its standards. If you believe we have breached the SRA's Standards and Regulations, you can report us at any time, whether or not you have used this procedure and whatever its outcome. We will never discourage you from doing so, and there is no need to wait for our complaints procedure to finish.

Solicitors Regulation Authority, The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham B1 1RN, United Kingdom. Telephone: 0370 606 2555 (from outside the UK: +44 121 820 2250). Email: report@sra.org.uk, www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor

How we learn from complaints

We record every complaint and review them regularly at management level to spot patterns and improve how we work. Your complaint is treated confidentially within the firm and used, alongside others, to make our service better.