At our firm, we are committed to providing the highest level of service to our clients. If, at any time, you have concerns or complaints regarding the service provided or the handling of your matter, we encourage you to raise them with us so that we can work to resolve the issue promptly and effectively.

Step 1: Initial Concerns

If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our service or how your matter is being handled, we encourage you to first address your concerns with the person responsible for your case on a day-to-day basis or the Partner in charge of the file. (You can raise your concerns either over the phone, in writing, or in person (if appropriate).

A note will be taken of the issues raised, and we will make every effort to resolve them at this stage. In our experience, this process resolves most concerns without the need for further action.

Step 2: Formal Complaint

If your concerns are not resolved through initial discussions, you may raise a formal complaint. To do this, please email the full details of your complaint to enquiries@yhmsolicitors.com and put Complaint with the file reference number in the subject line, or you may wish to send the complaint via post in which case we suggest that you use a secure delivery service to ensure that we receive your communication.

Upon receipt of your complaint, we will acknowledge it within three days, enclosing a copy of this procedure.

Step 3: Investigation and Response

Once we have received your formal complaint, we will acknowledge this in writing, within three working days. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please contact us to ensure that the complaint has been received.

We will thoroughly investigate the issue by discussing the matter with the relevant personnel who have handled your file and reviewing all relevant documentation.

During the investigation, we may contact you to arrange a meeting or phone call to assist in resolving the matter. We believe direct communication can help clarify issues and facilitate a quicker resolution.

If a meeting is held, we will also send a letter summarizing what was discussed and any agreed-upon solutions within five working days.

If you do not want a meeting, or it is not possible, we aim to provide you with a formal response to your complaint within 21 working days of receiving it outlining our findings and any solutions we propose.

Step 4: Resolution and Follow-Up

If you are not satisfied with our formal response, you may request that your complaint be escalated for a final review. To do this, please submit your request within 35 days of receiving our formal response. If we do not hear from you within this timeframe, we will consider the complaint closed.

Step 5: Final Review

Upon escalation, your complaint will be reviewed independently by the Firm’s Head of Compliance or a Partner. We will issue a Final Response to your complaint within 14 working days of receiving your request for escalation.

If we do not receive a response from you within 28 days of issuing our Final Response, we reserve the right to close our file and consider the complaint concluded.

Raising Concerns with the Legal Ombudsman

If, after following our complaints procedure, you are still not satisfied with our handling of your complaint, you may contact the Legal Ombudsman to review your case. The contact details for the Legal Ombudsman are as follows:

• Address: PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
• Phone: 0300 555 0333
• Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
• Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

The Legal Ombudsman expects complaints to be made within one year of the act or omission that caused concern, or within one year of becoming aware of the issue. You must refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving our final response.

Complaints About Your Bill

If your complaint relates to the bill you have received, this procedure will still apply. However, in addition, you may also have the right to challenge the bill through the court under the Solicitors Act 1974. Please be aware that if any part of a bill remains unpaid, we may charge interest.

Raising Concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)

If you are concerned about our conduct, such as dishonesty or mishandling of your funds, you can report your concerns to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). More information on how to report a concern to the SRA can be found at www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor.

Amendments to This Procedure

If we are unable to respond within this time frame due to the complexity of the issue, we will inform you and provide a revised date for our response. In certain cases, where additional investigation is needed, the response may take longer, but we will keep you updated throughout the process.